YOUR  PROBLEMS 
AND  MINE 


J,  K,  STABLETON 


YOUR  PROBLEMS  and  MINE 

In  fke  Guidance  of  You&i 


A  CASE  BOOK  FOR 
TEACHERS  and  PARENTS 


By 

J.  K.  STABLETON,  Doctor  of  Pedagogy 

Author  of 
"Diary  of  a  Western  Schoolmaster" 


THE  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PUBLISHING  CO. 

Blooming  ton,  Illinois 


Sg 


Copyright  1922 

by  the 

PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PUBLISHING  CO. 
Bloomington,  Illinois 


PREFACE 

This  book  is  intended  to  be  helpful  to  all  school  offi- 
cers, and  teachers,  and  to  parents,  in  fact,  to  all  who  have 
anything  to  do  with  the  teaching  and  training  of  youth. 
The  problems  presented  and  discussed  are  the  problems 
that  all  who  belong  to  any  one  of  these  classes  have  to 
meet. 

The  book  is  full  of  concrete  illustrations  drawn  almost 
entirely  from  the  writer's  own  record  of  cases  he  has 
observed  and  studied.  In  fact,  it  is  a  teacher 's  case  book. 
The  boys,  of  whom  there  are  many,  the  girls,  and  the 
teachers,  who  appear  on  its  pages  are  not  fictitious  peo- 
ple ;  but  each  one  is  a  real  character  true  to  life. 

The  writer  is  often  asked  what  he  would  do  with  this 
boy  or  that  boy ;  this  girl  or  that  girl ;  this  teacher  or 
that  teacher;  this  school  situation  or  that  school  situ- 
ation. An  open  confession  of  what  he  has  tried  to  do  in 
his  own  school  with  boys,  girls,  teachers,  and  school  situ- 
ations, and  the  manner  of  doing  revealing  the  spirit  in 
which  he  has  tried  to  do  his  school  work,  is  his  answer. 

The  closing  paragraph  or  paragraphs  in  many  of  the 
chapters  are  intended  to  direct  the  reader's  attention  to 
the  lesson  or  lessons  in  pedagogy  the  story  is  intended  to 
teach,  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  him  in  understanding 
similar  cases  or  situations  in  his  own  work,  and  in  sug- 
gesting to  him  possible  solutions.  In  an  appendix  a 
further  consideration  is  given  of  some  cases  from  each 
chapter. 

The  whole  book  emphasizes  the  great  importance  of 
child-study  to  all  who  have  to  do  with  youth.  A  study 
not  only  of  some  of  the  instructive  books  that  have  been 
written  on  this  subject,  but  also  a  careful,  sympathetic 
observation  and  study  of  the  boys  and  girls  under  their 

in 

£86727 


IV 

care,  in  the  school,  the  home,  or  elsewhere.  Books  must 
receive  their  full  share  of  attention,  but  these  pages  place 
the  emphasis  on  the  study  of  the  flesh  and  blood  boys 
and  girls. 

In  presenting  some  of  the  characteristics  of  the  physi- 
cal and  of  the  mental  life  movements  of  youth  as  dis- 
covered and  recorded  by  special  students  of  this  subject, 
the  writer  has  seen  these  characteristics  verified  again 
and  again  in  the  many  boys  and  girls  whom  he  has  care- 
fully observed  and  studied,  still  he  lays  no  claim  to  origi- 
nal discovery  of  any  of  them.  Even  in  giving  these 
facts,  he  lays  no  claim  to  the  form  of  the  statements.  In 
many  instances,  he  has  quoted  the  language  of  the  spe- 
cialists ;  in  others  he  has  held  so  closely  to  the  form  in 
which  specialists  have  stated  these  facts,  that  these  parts, 
too,  might  almost  be  included  in  parentheses. 

It  is  a  knowledge  of  these  facts  of  the  life  of  youth 
that  he  has  ever  had  in  mind  while  working  with  pupils 
in  the  grammar  grades  and  scholars  in  the  high  school. 
In  stating  these  facts,  he  had  drawn  largely  on  the  writ- 
ings of  Dr.  G.  Stanley  Hall,  Dr.  William  H.  Burnham, 
Dr.  Arthur  H.  Daniels,  and  others. 

And  lastly  the  book  teaches  that  the  teacher,  the  par- 
ent, or  anyone  who  would  rightly  direct  child-life  at  its 
emotional  flood-tide,  must  make  a  careful  study  of  him- 
self that  he  may  be  in  the  right  attitude  toward  the  youth 
for  whose  instruction,  guidance,  or  care,  he  is  responsible. 

J.  K.  STABLETON. 


SWEET   CLOVER  ILLUSTRATION 

Three  years  ago  the  Iowa  State  Agricultural  College, 
from  its  experimental  department,  sent  out  over  the 
United  States  and  Canada,  to  other  agricultural  experi- 
ment stations,  and  to  thousands  of  private  persons  inter- 
ested in  agriculture,  small  packets  of  annual  sweet  clover 
seed  that  owed  its  origin  to  a  single  plant  of  an  annual 
character  that  appeared,  as  if  by  accident,  in  a  pot  of 
biennial  (two  years)  sweet  clover  at  the  Iowa  Agri- 
cultural experiment  station. 

Biennial  sweet  clover  had  been  known  for  a  number 
of  years  as  a  valuable  farm  crop.  Annual  sweet  clover, 
one  year  sweet  clover,  was  something  new. 

The  Iowa  Agriculture  experiment  station  sent  out 
the  packets  of  this  annual  sweet  clover  seed  that  it  might 
be  tested  in  all  parts  of  this  country  and  Canada  where 
biennial  sweet  clover  grows ;  to  have  it  tested  under  all 
possible  conditions  to  find  out  whether  or  not  the  newly 
discovered  clover  was  of  value  for  agricultural  purposes. 

Only  a  short  time  ago  I  received  a  bulletin  from  the 
Ohio  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  setting  forth  the 
results  of  that  station's  testing  annual  sweet  clover.  The 
bulletin  showed  the  results  of  very  close  observation  and 
study  of  the  plant.  Point  after  point  as  observed  was 
set  down.  First,  the  plant  proved  to  be  an  annual ;  that 
is,  the  seed  planted  in  the  spring  ripened  seed  the  latter 
part  of  the  summer  of  the  same  year,  then  died. 

The  plant  on  good  soil  free  from  weeds,  made  a 
growth  equal  to  the  growth  made  by  the  biennial  sweet 
clover  the  second  year. 

The  annual  sweet  clover  plant  made  less  foliage  than 
the  biennial  sweet  clover. 


VI 

The  annual  sweet  clover  plant  had  a  smaller  root  sys- 
tem than  the  biennial  variety. 

In  this  manner  all  the  results  of  the  observation  of 
the  plant  were  stated.  But  had  the  bulletin  gone  no 
further  than  to  give  these  results  of  observation  of  the 
plant,  it  would  not  have  been  the  valuable  bulletin  that 
it  is.  The  work  of  observation  was  very  carefully  fol- 
lowed up  by  a  thorough  study  of  the  data  gathered  by 
observation,  and  the  results  of  this  study  were  given  in 
the  bulletin  together  with  the  data  of  observation. 

The  annual  plant  made  a  growth  the  first  year  equal 
to  the  growth  made  by  the  biennial  sweet  clover  the  sec- 
ond year,  but  the  annual  sweet  clover  had  less  foliage 
on  its  stems  than  the  biennial  sweet  clover  so  was  less 
valuable  as  a  hay  crop  than  the  biennial  type.  But  the 
annual  sweet  clover  makes  a  heavy  crop  of  hay  the  first 
year  and  while  the  quality  is  somewhat  inferior,  still  un- 
der some  conditions  this  large  crop  of  hay  the  first  year 
makes  annual  sweet  clover  more  valuable  than  the  bien- 
nial in  some  situations.  The  results  of  long  and  careful 
study  are  here  given  to  all  farmers. 

But  why  is  so  much  time,  study  and  expense  devoted 
to  this  plant?  What  is  the  purpose  of  all  this  labor? 
The  object  in  view  is  to  know  annual  sweet  clover  in 
order  to  determine  whether  or  not  it  has  sufficient  value 
under  some  conditions  to  give  it  a  place  in  agriculture. 

This  observation  of  the  plant  to  see  how  it  responds 
to  this  or  that  condition  of  soil,  to  this  or  that  condition 
of  climate,  to  cultivation,  or  to  no  cultivation,  and  the 
thoughtful  study  of  all  the  data  secured  in  this  manner, 
are  the  means  by  which  the  usefulness  of  a  variety  of 
plants  may  be  determined.  All  the  qualities  of  the  plant 
must  be  known,  otherwise  a  plant  of  great  agricultural 


VII 

value  under  some  conditions,  might  be  cast  aside  as 
useless. 

I  have  dwelt  quite  at  legnth  on  how  the  scientist  ob- 
serves and  studies  a  plant  in  order  that  he  may  know 
the  plant.  I  have  so  dwelt  on  this  bit  of  plant  observa- 
tion and  study  that  those  who  teach  and  train  youth,  or 
have  anything  to  do  in  directing  youth,  may  see  that  as 
the  scientist  observes  and  studies  plants,  so  should  these 
guardians  of  youth  observe  and  study  boys  and  girls  that 
they  may  know  them  physically,  mentally  and  emotion- 
ally during  their  growing  years,  and  as  much  as  possible 
in  their  body  and  mind  birth  inheritances;  that  they 
may  know  the  physical  and  mental  qualities  of  the  boys 
and  girls  as  the  scientist  in  the  Botanical  field  knows  a 
plant. 

But  how  much  higher  the  purpose  of  knowing  on  the 
part  of  these  teachers  of  youth  than  on  the  part  of  the 
scientific  student  of  the  plant !  As  in  the  case  of  annual 
sweet  clover,  the  scientist  would  know  all  the  qualities 
of  the  plant  to  determine  whether  or  not  it  is  sufficiently 
useful  to  make  it  worth  preserving,  so  the  teachers  and 
guardians  of  youth  would  know  all  the  qualities  of  each 
individual  youth  not  for  the  purpose  of  determining 
whether  or  not  the  boy  or  girl  is  worth  saving;  but  that 
they  may  so  adapt  their  teaching  and  training  to  each 
boy  and  each  girl  that  the  finest  qualities  of  body  and 
soul  of  each  one  may  be  developed  in  the  best  possible 
manner. 


IX 

TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Chapter  I.     Some  Sample  Cases 1 

Chapter  II.     Some  Comments,  A  Few  Characteristics  of  Youth 

With  Concrete  Cases 23 

Chapter  III.     Characteristics  of  Youth  With  Concrete  Cases 

(Continued)  36 

Chapter  IV.     Religious  Awakening 54 

Chapter  V.     Mild  Types,  Demonstrative  Types,  Discussed ....  61 
Chapter  VI.     Roseate  Dreams;    Dreams  Daubed  With  Blue; — 

The  Dreamers    66 

Chapter  VII.     Are  They  Worth  Being  Interested  In? 73 

Chapter  VIII.     Mistrustful  of  Parents  or  Home  Friends 82 

Chapter  IX.     Cheating — Grammar  Grade  Pupils,  High  School 

Scholars 89 

Chapter  X.     The  Taking  of  the  Property  of  Others 98 

Chapter  XI.  Wrong  Doing — Responsibility,  Teacher 's?  Par- 
ents'? City  Government's?  122 

Chapter  XII.    Awakened  to  a  Consciousness  of  Power 133 

Chapter  XIII.     On  the  Way  to  and  From  School, — Gatherings 

Under  School  Names 150 

Chapter  XIV.    Attraction  of  the  Opposite  Sex 163 

Chapter  XV.     What  Would  You  Do  With  Them? 178 

Chapter  XVI.     Athletics 190 

Chapter  XVII.     Some  Considerations  for  the  Health  of  Girls 

of  Grammar  Grades  and  High  School 203 

Chapter  XVIII.  A  Period  of  Rapid  Growth;  A  Period  of 
Lowered  Intellectual  Power;  A  Period  of  Stimulated 
Intellectual  Power.  An  Open  Way  to  Those  Quick  at 

Learning.     Gime  Time  to  the  Slow  Scholar 211 

Chapter  XIX.     Rural  School  Contrasts 219 

Chapter  XX.     Some   Outside   Conditions   That  Affect   School 

Work 222 

Chapter  XXI.     Some    Comments    on    Teachers,    Pupils,    and 

Scholars 232 

Appendix.  Observations  and  Questions  that  are  Suggested  in 
the  Study  of  Individual  Cases. 


YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

CHAPTER  I 
SOME  SAMPLE  CASES 

Ned  R.  had  come  up  through  the  last  three  years  of 
our  elementary  schools  into  the  high  school,  and  was  at 
the  mid-year  of  his  senior  year  when  one  morning  the 
high  school  principal  said  to  me  that  Ned  was  becoming 
a  little  smart,  was  anxious  to  show  off ;  that  he  had  com- 
mitted an  offense  the  day  before  that  could  not  easily 
be  passed  over  lest  something  more  serious  might  hap- 
pen; but  that  Ned  had  always  before,  in  his  three  and 
one-half  years  in  high  school,  been  above  criticism  in  his 
conduct,  and  in  scholarship  had  always  ranked  with  the 
best  in  his  class. 

"This  fine  record,"  said  the  principal,  "makes  it 
hard  for  me  to  know  just  how  to  meet  the  case.  As  you 
have  known  him  longer  than  I,  and  I  have  often  heard 
you  speak  of  his  fine  standing  in  the  elementary  schools, 
I  would  like  very  much  to  have  you  talk  with  him  if  you 
will.  The  fact  that  you  have  known  his  good  record  for 
so  much  longer  time  than  I,  will  make  it  easier  for  you 
to  touch  him  in  a  way  to  get  a  happy  response. " 

I  replied,  "I'll  do  my  best." 

In  a  few  minutes,  Ned  came  into  my  office  looking  a 
little  ashamed.  As  he  stepped  up  to  my  desk,  I  extended 
my  hand  to  him.  As  we  clasped  hands,  I  asked :  ' '  What 
about  the  trouble,  Ned?" 

With  his  fine,  clear  eye  looking  straight  into  mine,  he 
replied:  "I  did  wrong.  I'll  never  do  wrong  in  school 
again. ' ' 

1 


2  Your.  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

I  replied:  "I  take  your  words  at  their  full  value; 
you  never  will."  And  he  never  did. 

Then  I  asked :  * '  Ned,  how  many  years  have  you  been 
with  me  in  school,  the  elementary  school  and  the  high 
school?" 

He  replied,  "I  came  here  at  the  beginning  of  the 
sixth  grade  and  have  been  in  school  here  ever  since." 

Then  I  said:  "In  all  these  years  up  to  the  present 
time  you  have  never  before  been  spoken  to  in  regard  to 
your  conduct,  nor  has  fault  ever  been  found  with  your 
class  work.  The  principal  did  not  tell  the  offense  for 
which  you  have  come  to  me.  He  said  you  would  tell  me. 
But  you  need  not.  I  do  not  wish  to  know.  You  are 
forgiven.  I  want  you  to  understand  that  a  good  record 
counts.  You  will  graduate  in  June,  and  when  you  leave 
us,  the  principal  and  I  wish  you  to  remember  that  we 
tried  to  appreciate  the  great  good  that  was  in  you  boys 
and  not  to  magnify  the  mistakes." 

Ned  gave  my  hand  a  firmer  grip,  big  tears  stole  down 
from  his  eyes  and  stood  on  his  cheeks,  his  lips  quivered 
as  he  said:  "Thank  you,"  and  left  the  office. 

When  I  told  the  principal  what  I  had  done,  he  said, 
'  *  I  knew  you  would  settle  it  that  way.  It  was  just  what 
I  wished  you  to  do." 


I  had  spent  the  afternoon  in  one  of  the  elementary 
schools  and  as  was  my  custom,  had  stopped  in  the  prin- 
cipal's  office  for  a  conference  with  her  or  any  teacher 
who  might  wish  to  talk  over  with  me  some  part  of  her 
work,  when  a  teacher  of  the  advanced  half  of  the  seventh 
grade  asked  for  a  few  minutes  of  my  time.  We  passed 
to  her  room  as  the  private  office  was  occupied. 


SOME  SAMPLE  CASES  3 

She  said :  ' '  Mr.  Stableton,  I  'in  all  discouraged  today 
and  want  to  talk  with  you  about  one  of  the  boys  in  my 

room.  You  know  Marion  S ,  and  you  know  how 

every  teacher  that  has  ever  had  him  in  her  room  has 
thought  him  about  the  finest  boy  in  the  school. " 

"Yes,  I  know  what  they  have  all  thought  of  him," 
I  replied. 

' '  Well,  today, ' '  she  continued,  *  *  I  found  that  instead 
of  his  being  the  fine  boy  we  had  thought  him,  his  mind 
is  perfectly  filthy,  he  is  unclean  as  he  can  be." 

She  then  gave  me  a  note  that  he  had  written,  not  as 
site  thought  an  unclean  note,  but  a  note  that  showed  that 
sex  inquisitiveness  had  come  to  him  as  it  comes  to  all 
boys  whose  development  is  normal.  Then  she  passed  me 
his  dictionary  in  which  he  had  underscored  many  of  the 
words  referring  to  sex.  This  was  further  evidence  to 
me  that  not  evil-mindedness  as  she  thought,  but  sex  in- 
quisitiveness, had  come  to  him ;  and  that  while  she  must 
guard  further  outcroppings  of  this  awakening  instinct 
in  school,  the  inquisitiveness  was  not  in  itself  bad.  I  said 
to  her  that  while  she  could  not  talk  to  the  boy  of  himself, 
she  could  give  him  to  understand  that  any  further  note- 
writing  on  his  part  would  be  considered  no  light  offense ; 
that  she  should  require  him  to  erase  all  marks  from  his 
dictionary,  and  tell  him  that  she  would  examine  it  from 
time  to  time  to  see  there  was  no  more  marking ;  that  the 
greatest  thing  she  could  do  for  him  was  to  keep  him  so 
busy  with  his  work,  by  giving  him  extra  work  of  an 
attractive  kind,  that  he  would  have  no  time  to  think 
about  himself  while  in  school ;  that  she  ought  to  explain 
the  situation  to  his  parents  in  order  that  they  might  give 
him  help ;  that  she  must  not  in  any  way  lose  her  high 
regard  for  him  or  she  would  render  herself  helpless  to 
do  him  good  just  when  he  needed  her  most. 


4  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

This  teacher  was  in  many  ways  an  exceptionally  fine 
young  teacher.  She  gave  herself  unreservedly  to  her 
school,  was  scholarly,  able  in  her  instruction,  and  tactful 
in  managing  her  room.  The  pupils  greatly  respected  her 
and  admired  her.  The  work  of  her  room  on  the  whole 
was  of  a  fine  character;  but  in  this  case  she  had  failed 
to  connect  what  she  had  read  of  the  physical  and  the 
mental  development  of  youth  with  the  boy  in  her  room 
who  was  experiencing  the  very  changes  of  which  she  had 
read.  This  failing  to  determine  the  cause  from  its 
effect  on  the  boy,  had  led  her  to  believe  the  boy  was  foul- 
minded.  Then,  too,  as  a  result  of  not  properly  inter- 
preting the  boy,  she  said  she  thought  "If  he  is  as  filthy 
minded  as  he  seems  to  be,  what  must  the  others  be,  and 
what  does  our  teaching  amount  to  anyway  V 

I  talked  his  development  over  with  her.  She  was 
just  a  little  chagrined  that  she  had  failed  to  understand 
the  boy;  that  she  had  failed  to  apply  to  the  boy  in  her 
own  room  the  information  she  had  gathered  from  read- 
ing; that  she  had  failed  to  discover  the  cause  from  the 
effect  it  had  on  the  boy. 

After  our  talk,  she  was  again  in  her  happy,  hopeful 
frame  of  mind  that  was  so  characteristic  of  her  in  her 
work  with  boys  and  girls. 

********* 

Another  afternoon  at  the  close  of  school  at  another 
building,  I  called  at  an  advanced  seventh  grade  room  to 
speak  a  moment  with  the  teacher.  As  I  looked  into  the 
room,  I  saw  she  was  engaged  in  talking  with  a  boy.  She 
immediately  excused  herself  and  stepped  into  the  hall. 
She  smiled  and  said,  "Alonzo  and  I  have  just  been 
having  a  little  talk.  Today  I  found  a  note  that  he  had 
written,  so  asked  him  to  wait  a  few  minutes  after  school. 


SOME  SAMPLE  CASES  5 

I  have  just  given  him  to  understand  that  that  kind  of 
thing  must  not  occur  again,  and  I  know  him.  well 
enough  to  know  he  will  not  try  it  again.  It  was  not  a 
bad  note,  but  a  little  off  color.  In  two  or  three  years, 
he  will  be  ashamed  he  ever  wrote  such  a  note.  But, 
Mr.  Stableton,  he  is  a  splendid  boy,  and  will  make  a  fine 
man. ' ' 

She  pleased  me  greatly.  She  knew  the  boy's 
physical  and  mental  condition.  She  knew  too  what  her 
part  was  with  the  boy,  and  understanding  the  situation, 
met  it  in  a  good,  strong  way,  all  the  while  keeping  a 
fine,  helpful  attitude  toward  the  boy. 

********* 

In  a  town  where  I  lived  for  many  years,  there  dwelt 
from  youth  to  old  age,  a  man,  who  even  when  hoary- 
headed,  his  face  bleared  and  bloated,  a  life  of  sin 
written  in  every  lineament  of  his  features,  was  still  at- 
tractive to  boys  and  young  men.  I  often  heard  it  said 
that  that  man  had  led  more  boys  to  lives  of  wrong  than 
any  other  one  influence  in  that  community.  He  was 
always  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  boys,  and  no  boy  ever 
came  under  his  influence  who  was  the  same  again. 

With  that  peculiar  charm  about  his  personality 
that  wins  youth,  had  he  been  a  noble  character,  he 
might  have  been  of  untold  good  to  his  community  in- 
stead of  making  himself  the  source  of  a  great  stream  of 
immoral  conduct. 

What  was  the  secret  of  this  man's  great  influence 
over  boys  and  young  men? 

There  was  always  in  him  a  keen  appreciation  of  boy- 
life.  For  forty  years,  he  was  ever  at  the  front  of  his 
place  of  business  to  speak  a  pleasant  word  to  the  passing 
boy,  to  cultivate  his  acquaintance.  And  in  this  he  was 


6  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

not  evil.  This  great  love  of  boy-life  stands  out  promi- 
nently as  the  one  redeeming  trait  in  his  character ;  and 
yet,  it  ever  drew  the  boys  to  him  only  to  be  hurt  by  his 
many  vices. 

Often  as  I  have  thought  of  this  man,  the  question 
has  come  to  me, — Cannot  those  who  are  interested  in  the 
good  make  themselves  as  attractive  to  the  youth?  -Can- 
not, should  not,  teachers,  too,  cultivate  that  manner  that 
appeals  to  youth?  Can  they  not  have  that  same  sym- 
pathetic touch  with  young  life  that  gave  this  man  his 
wonderful  influence  over  boys? 

********* 

A  few  years  ago,  I  happened  to  hear  two  gentlemen 
talking.  At  that  time,  they  had  been  friends  for  several 
years.  One  of  them  said  to  the  other :  ' '  Do  you  know, 
I  liked  you  from  the  first  time  I  met  you."  I  am  not 
going  into  any  explanation  of  what  is  implied  in  this 
statement,  but  will  say  that  boys  measure  men  and 
women  in  much  the  same  way,  they  "kind  o'  like  them," 
or  they  ' '  kind  o '  don  ?t  like  them, ' '  when  they  first  meet 
them.  When  boys  "size  us  up,"  rest  assured  they  give 
us  credit  for  about  all  there  is  in  us.  Sometimes  they 
fail  in  their  first  estimate  of  us,  but  when  they  do,  it 
takes  time  for  us  to  prove  to  them  that  they  were  wrong 
in  their  judgment. 

When  I  go  into  a  strange  town,  I  feel  rather  lone- 
some. I  miss  the  boys  that  at  home  meet  me  at  every 
corner  ready  for  a  look  or  word  of  recognition.  I  know 
nothing  more  delightful  than  to  pass  along  the  street 
and  exchange  pleasant  words  with  the  boys:  here  a 
group  is  playing,  and  I  stop  to  see  how  goes  the  game, 
and  everyone  gives  me  a  pleasant  nod  as  I  watch  the 
game  with  unfeigned  pleasure ;  or  I  tip  my  hat  to  some 


SOME  SAMPLE  CASES  7 

boy  as  he  rides  by  in  his  car,  fearful  of  not  being  seen 
in  his  elevated  greatness ;  or  politely  I  speak  a  word  of 
recognition  to  some  boy  who  is  busy  at  his  work  in 
office  or  store,  yet  glances  up  to  give  and  to  receive  the 
approving  smile  that  blesses  life;  I  hear  someone's 
shoes  going  clickety-clack,  I  turn  'round  and  see  some 
boy  running  to  catch  up  with  me.  I  wait  and  as  we 
walk  the  next  block  or  two,  we  pleasantly  chat  of  what 
is  uppermost  in  Jiis  mind.  Then  with  a  " Good-bye," 
he  is  gone  another  way. 

Teachers  cannot  afford  to  walk  along  the  streets 
with  their  minds  wholly  occupied  with  solving  their 
problems,  but  in  this  pleasant  way  they  may  so  get  hold 
of  the  boys  that  many  of  their  school  problems  will 
solve  themselves. 

Do  we  not  remember  some  men  whom  we  greatly 
admired  when  we  were  boys?  Were  they  men  who 
passed  us  by  with  never  a  word  or  look  of  recognition? 
I  hardly  think  so. 

********* 

Boys  are  natural  hero-worshippers,  and  cannot  ad- 
mire or  respect  one  who  is  not  able  to  carry  out  his 
plans.  They  admire  that  teacher  who,  if  need  be,  can 
make  them  do  as  they  ought,  although  he  may  never 
be  compelled  to  use  his  coercing  power.  Still,  if  some 
boy  leader  sets  out  to  contest  the  leadership  with  the 
teacher,  the  teacher  must,  if  he  wishes  to  sustain  his 
position  as  head  of  the  school,  bring  this  leader  to 
ignominious  defeat;  otherwise  the  boys  will  array 
themselves  under  their  own  leader  against  the  teacher; 
but  if,  on  the  other  hand,  the  teacher  or  principal  brings 
this  leader  into  humble  submission,  the  boys  will  rally 
to  the  teacher's  standard. 


8  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

A  number  of  years  ago,  on  taking  up  my  work  in 
Charleston,  Illinois,  in  one  of  the  fifth  grades  I  found 
a  large  colored  boy,  possibly  sixteen  years  of  age. 
Judging  from  his  size  alone,  he  seemed  even  older.  His 
teacher  said  to  me :  ' '  I  am  afraid  of  that  boy,  he  is  so 
sullen  and  is  not  at  all  inclined  to  do  what  I  wish.''  I 
asked  a  few  questions  about  the  boy,  and  learned  that  a 
gentleman  in  the  town  had  brought  him  from  Okla- 
homa, had  given  him  a  home,  and  was  trying  to  educate 
him;  that  the  boy  had  been  in  the  fifth  grade  the  year 
before  but  had  not  been  promoted,  and  that  his  not 
being  promoted  was  what  caused  his  sullen  manner. 

The  teacher  who  had  taught  the  fifth  grade  the  year 
before  was  this  year  principal  of  the  building,  and 
teacher  of  the  sixth  grade.  She  said  that  while  the  boy 
was  not  strong  in  his  work,  she  believed  that  it  would 
be  better  to  give  him  a  place  in  the  sixth  grade  room ; 
that  she  knew  he  would  do  his  best  for  her  and  would 
learn  more,  and  she  was  confident  that  to  leave  him 
where  he  was  could  only  mean  trouble. 

I  replied  that  I  would  arrange  to  have  him  placed 
in  the  sixth  grade,  but  would  try  to  do  it  in  a  way  that 
would  have  a  good  effect  on  him.  I  made  it  convenient 
that  day  to  meet  the  boys  as  they  were  dismissed  and 
apparently  accidently,  I  met  Sam,  the  colored  boy, 
recognized  him  pleasantly,  and  then  said,  "Sam, 
someone  tells  me  you  are  from  Oklahoma?"  He 
stopped,  grinned  pleasantly,  and  said:  "Yes,  sah,  I'se 

from  Oklahoma,  I  came  to  Charleston  with  Mr. . 

He  found  me  out  there.  I  live  with  him." 

I  then  told  him  that  I  was  from  the  West  too,  that 
I  had  lived  a  number  of  years  in  Nebraska,  and  chatted 
a  few  minutes  with  him  about  some  common  char- 


SOME  SAMPLE  CASES  9 

acteristics  of  that  western  country.  A  day  or  two  after 
this,  I  was  at  that  building  again,  and  made  it  a  point 
to  get  to  talk  a  little  while  with  Sam.  I  said  to  him: 
"Sam,  I  have  been  thinking  that  you  might,  by  work- 
ing extra  hard,  try  to  do  the  work  in  the  sixth  grade. 
I'm  sure  you  would  feel  better  in  the  sixth  grade  than 
where  you  are  with  all  those  little  folks.  What  do  you 
think  about  it?" 

A  big  smile  parted  his  thick  lips  and  spread  almost 
from  ear  to  ear  as  he  replied:  "Mr.  Stableton,  I'd 
like  mighty  well  to  be  in  that  grade,  and  I'll  work 
mighty  hard  if  you'll  try  me." 

"All  right,"  said  I,  "I'll  ask  the  principal  to  trans- 
fer you  to  her  grade,  and  I'm  sure  you'll  not  disappoint 
me." 

Three  or  four  weeks  later,  I  was  hurriedly  called  to 
this  same  building.  The  janitor,  very  much  excited, 
met  me  at  the  door  and  said:  "Dick's  on  a  tare,  and 
has  a  big  piece  of  iron  and  swears  he'll  knock  a  hole  in 
your  head  if  you  go  in  where  he  is.  I  tell  you  Tie's  a 
terror.  The  superintendent  last  year  turned  him  out  of 
school,  and  after  that  Dick  rocked  the  superintendent 
on  the  street." 

I  passed  to  the  principal 's  room  and  found  her  much 
excited.  Dick  had  been  very  unruly  and  had  defied  her 
in  the  presence  of  the  school.  When  he  knew  that  she 
had  sent  for  me,  he  swore  he  would  do  so  and  so  if  I 
came. 

There  was  an  unoccupied  room  adjoining  the  prin- 
cipal's room,  into  which  she  had  finally  got  him.  I 
went  into  the  room.  He  was  standing  with  an  iron  bar 
in  one  hand.  He  growled  something  as  I  entered.  I 
paid  no  attention  to  this,  but  spoke  to  him  when  he 


10  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

growled  again  that  I  had  better  look  out.  Before  he 
knew  that  I  was  going  to  touch  him,  I  gripped  both  his 
hands  so  quickly  that  it  startled  him.  I  shook  the  rod 
of  iron  out  of  his  hand.  He  immediately  threw  him- 
self down  on  the  floor,  locked  his  legs  around  mine,  and 
tried  to  trip  me  down.  I  held  his  hands  in  a  tight  grip, 
and  by  lifting  his  feet  with  my  feet,  moved  across  the 
room  to  where  there  were  some  switches  left  from  the 
year  before.  I  then  whipped  him  severely.  This  brought 
him  to  his  feet.  As  he  rose  to  his  feet,  I  said,  "Be 
seated,"  pointing  to  a  chair  nearby.  He  sat  down. 
Just  then  the  door  to  the  principal's  room  opened  and 
in  came  my  big  colored  boy,  Sam,  and  stepping  up  to  me 
he  said:  "Mr.  Stableton,  do  you  need  any  help?"  I 
thanked  him,  and  replied,  "No."  He  returned  to  his 
own  room. 

I  then  talked  with  Dick.  He  was  out  of  his  passion 
so  he  could  listen  to  what  I  had  to  say.  I  told  him  he 
was  not  all  bad,  but  when  he  allowed  himself  to  get  into 
such  an  angry  passion,  he  was  terrible,  and  nothing  but 
severe  punishment  would  bring  him  to  his  senses;  that 
he  must  be  in  school  that  year ;  that  I  had  no  thought  of 
turning  him  out ;  but  that  he  would  be  compelled  to  do 
right  and  be  obedient  to  his  teacher.  I  said  further 
that  I  had  known  worse  boys  than  he  to  make  good  men, 
and  there  was  no  reason  why  he  could  not.  He  had  felt 
that  everybody  thought  he  was  wholly  bad,  and  was,  so 
to  speak,  trying  to  keep  up  his  reputation. 

My  aim  was  to  let  him  see  that  I  did  not  consider 
him  a  hopeless  case,  but  that  I  expected  something  good 
of  him  and  believed  he  could  make  a  useful  man. 

As  he  had  been  so  unruly  in  the  presence  of  the 
school,  and  as  the  pupils  could  hear  the  noise  we  made 
when  I  first  took  hold  of  him,  I  felt  that  the  school  must 


SOME  SAMPLE  CASES  11 

know  how  the  affair  was  settled,  so  I  arranged  it  with 
him  that  I  should  explain  to  the  school.  We  passed  into 
the  room  together,  and  I  told  the  school  that  I  had 
punished  Dick  severely  for  his  conduct,  and  that  he 
was  going  to  try  to  be  a  better  boy.  They  saw  him  come 
into  the  room  so  changed  from  what  they  had  seen  him 
leave  it  a  short  time  before,  that  they  understood  fully 
what  had  been  done.  I  then  said  that  as  the  matter  was 
settled,  it  must  not  be  made  a  subject  of  conversation 
anywhere  about  the  school  or  schoolgrounds ;  that  I 
would  consider  it  a  very  bad  offense  for  any  of  them  to 
be  heard  talking  about  the  trouble;  that  it  must  be 
dropped  and  dropped  at  once.  Tlie  affair  was  not 
talked  about  openly. 

The  principal  said  that  the  colored  boy  had  asked  to 
leave  the  room  and  she  had  excused  him  but  had  no 
thought  of  his  wishing  to  assist  me;  it  was  his  own 
doing.  When  he  went  home  he  told  his  folks  what  he 
had  done,  and  said  that  he  was  afraid  Dick  might  be 
too  strong  for  Mr.  Stableton,  and  so  thought  he  ought 
to  help  him,  but  that  he  had  not  needed  his  help. 

When  Dick  went  home  from  school,  he  told  his 
mother  what  had  occurred,  but  said  he  didn't  care  if  I 
had  whipped  him,  he  liked  me  anyway,  for  I  had  said 
that  he  could  make  a  good  man,  that  I  had  known  worse 
boys  than  he  to  make  good  men. 

Dick  was  not  always  perfect  in  his  conduct,  but  he 
was  never  again  as  he  had  been  before,  and  a  few  words 
were  all  that  were  necessary  to  set  him  right. 

This  may  not  be  the  best  way  of  getting  hold  of  boys. 
Many  may  not  approve  of  it.  All  I  can  say  in  its  de- 
fense is  that  it  answered  my  purpose  when  I  knew  no 
other,  and  to  me  it  is  far  preferable  to  not  getting  hold 


12  YOUE  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

of  such  boys  at  all.    It  is  in  perfect  harmony  with  the 
physical  and  mental  laws  of  the  development  of  youth. 


A  teacher  in  a  high  school  said  to  me  one  day  that  he 
was  greatly  annoyed  by  the  boys  on  the  street,  not 
simply  high  school  boys,  but  grammar  grade  boys  as 
well,  by  their  dodging  behind  the  corners  of  buildings 
and  fences  and  yelling  names  at  him  as  he  passed  along 
the  street.  "What  would  you  do  if  you  were  in  my 
place ? ' '  said  he.  I  replied :  "I  would  cultivate  the  ac- 
quaintance of  those  boys,  and  instead  of  trying  to  keep 
out  of  their  way,  I  would  make  it  a  point  to  meet  them 
and  to  speak  to  them  just  as  politely  as  I  could/'  He 
tried  this,  and  the  trouble  disappeared.  Those  same  boys 
came  to  know  that  teacher  as  a  fine  man  and  a  worthy 
friend.  He  said  afterwards  in  speaking  of  the  affair: 
"My  speaking  pleasantly  to  them  and  cultivating  their 
acquaintance  seemed  to  take  all  the  wind  out  of  them." 
He  was  about  right. 


One  Tuesday  afternoon  several  years  ago,  about  five 
o'clock,  I  sat  at  my  office  desk  busily  engaged  with  the 

last  hour's  work  of  the  day  when  Miss  G ,  one  of 

our  high  school  teachers,  entered,  and  said  that  as  the 
high  school  principal  was  not  in  his  office,  she  thought 
that  possibly  she  ought  to  tell  me  that  some  of  the  junior 
and  the  senior  boys  were  getting  ready  to  post  up  about 
the  city,  some  Rules  and  Regulations  for  freshmen  and 
sophomores;  that  one  of  the  boys,  calling  him  by  name, 
had  just  been  talking  to  her  about  it;  that  they  in- 
tended to  have  one  hundred  large  posters  printed,  and 
to  put  them  up  in  conspicuous  places  about  the  city; 


SOME  SAMPLE  CASES  13 

that  they  did  not  intend  to  make  any  trouble,  "only 
just  have  a  little  fun. ' ' 

I  thanked  her  and  she  passed  from  the  office. 

In  a  moment's  time,  I  thought  it  through.  It  meant 
a  clash  between  juniors  and  seniors  on  one  side,  fresh- 
men and  sophomores  on  the  other.  I  must  head  off  the 
affair.  I  had  seen  the  boy  whom  she  mentioned  leave 
the  building  not  five  minutes  before  the  teacher  gave 
me  the  report. 

By  this  time  the  high  school  principal  had  re- 
turned to  his  office.  I  stated  the  case  to  him  and  re- 
quested him  to  find  the  boy  and  tell  him  that  I  said  that 
he  must  go  no  further  with  the  affair,  but  must  call  at 
my  office  before  school  in  the  morning.  I  said  further : 
"Do  not  leave  the  boy  until  you  have  his  word  that  he 
will  do  nothing  more  until  he  sees  me. "  I  knew  the  boy 
and  that  he  would  do,  with  the  proper  insistence 
on  the  part  of  the  principal,  as  I  requested. 

The  principal  then  said  that  he  had  seen  a  certain 
other  boy  engaged  evidently  in  a  very  serious  con- 
versation with  some  other  students  at  the  close  of 
school,  and  that  he  thought  this  boy  must  be  interested 
in  the  same  thing.  I  immediately  called  this  boy  over 
the  telephone  while  the  principal  went  to  look  after  the 
first  boy.  In  a  few  minutes  the  second  boy  was  in  the 
office.  I  said  to  him  that  I  had  learned  that  a  number  of 
junior  and  senior  boys  were  getting  out  a  set  of  Rules 
and  Regulations  for  freshmen  and  sophomores  to  be 
posted  up  about  the  city ;  and  that  this  could  not  be  done 
without  great  wrong  to  our  school ;  that  I  believed  he  was 
one  of  the  promoters  of  the  scheme,  and  for  this  reason 
had  called  him  in  to  have  a  talk  with  him.  I  did  not 
bluff  him,  I  was  as  honest  with  him  as  I  hoped  he  would 
be  with  me.  I  don't  think  it  pays  to  bluff. 


14  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

He  replied  that  he  was  one  of  them,  but  said  that  they 
were  not  intending  to  make  any  trouble,  that  they  had  no 
thought  of  doing  anything  that  would  interfere  with  the 
work  of  the  school,  but  just  wanted  "to  have  a  little 
fun" ;  that  the  plan  was  to  put  up  the  posters  some  night, 
then  catch  a  few  freshmen  and  sophomores,  take  them  to 
one  of  the  city  parks,  where  the  juniors  and  seniors  would 
have  a  wiener  roast,  read  the  Rules  and  Regulations  to 
the  captured  "freshies"  and  "sophs"  and  make  them 
pledge  to  observe  the  rules;  that  no  one  was  to  be  in- 
jured in  any  way,  that  they  were  only  ' '  going  to  have  a 
little  fun." 

I  accepted  his  statement  of  their  intentions  as  honest, 
for  this  boy  had  always  been  loyal  to  his  school  and  one 
on  whom  we  could  depend  as  ever  standing  for  the  right. 
I  pointed  out  to  him  just  what  would  be  the  result  of  any 
such  action  on  their  part :  that  it  would  mean  strife  and 
ill  will  between  juniors  and  seniors  on  one  side,  and 
sophomores  and  freshmen  on  the  other;  that  it  would 
mean  the  loss  practically  of  at  least  two  weeks  and  pos- 
sibly a  month  of  school  time,  as  far  as  the  regular  school 
work  was  concerned ;  that  the  energies  of  teachers,  prin- 
cipal and  superintendent  would  be  taken  from  the  reg- 
ular school  work  to  keep  the  disorder  from  going  beyond 
bounds,  and  that  the  school  would  win  for  itself  a  name 
as  a  center  of  rowdyism.  He  had  not  thought  the  whole 
thing  through.  It  is  not  often  in  these  cases  that  young 
people  do  think  the  whole  thing  through,  and  see  the  end 
from  the  beginning.  I  then  asked  him  his  promise  that 
he  would  have  nothing  more  to  do  with  the  affair  and  said 
that  if  he  would  not  give  me  his  word,  I  would  call  in 
his  father,  that  we  both  knew  what  his  father  would  do. 

He  gave  me  his  word  that  he  would  have  nothing 
more  to  do  with  carrying  on  the  affair.  In  fact,  would 


SOME  SAMPLE  CASES  15 

try  to  help  stop  it,  and  said:    "Mr.  Stableton,  you  had 
better  call  in  the  other  fellows  and  talk  with  them." 

I  thanked  him  and  he  left  my  office.  I  knew  I  could 
trust  him. 

A  little  later  I  had  word  from  the  first  boy  that 
nothing  would  be  done  that  night,  and  that  he  would 
call  to  see  me  in  the  morning.  I  went  home  feeling  sure 
that  the  first  steps  had  been  taken  that  would  prevent 
five  hundred  pupils  being  thrown  into  an  excited,  riotous 
state,  and  that  with  close,  tactful  work  for  a  day  or  two 
the  good  name  of  the  school  for  order  and  decency  would 
be  preserved ;  but  I  knew  there  was  still  work  ahead. 

Very  early  the  next  morning  the  boy  with  whom  I  had 
talked  the  evening  before  called  at  my  office  with  a  copy 
of  the  Rules  and  Regulations  for  sophomores  and  fresh- 
men, saying  that  he  thought  I  would  like  to  read  them.  I 
thanked  him.  I  then  knew  just  what  the  intended  posters 
contained,  and  that  they  had  been  handed  down  from 
some  university  or  college.  I  was  glad  to  read  them,  for 
when  a  few  minutes  later  the  boy  whom  the  teacher  had 
reported  the  evening  before  called  on  me,  I  was  able  to 
talk  directly  to  the  point  as  to  the  effect  the  posters  would 
produce. 

This  boy 's  statement  of  the  case  was  almost  the  same 
as  that  of  the  other  and  I  felt  they  were  both  honest  in 
what  they  said.  I  explained  how  it  appealed  to  me,  and 
kindly,  yet  without  any  possibility  of  its  going  on,  stated 
that  the  whole  affair  must  be  called  off.  I  asked  him,  not 
in  a  way  to  make  him  feel  that  I  thought  he  had  in- 
tentionally planned  something  to  disrupt  our  school,  to 
give  me  his  word  that  he  as  one  of  the  leaders  or  origi- 
nators would  call  off  the  affair  and  bring  the  posters 
to  me. 


16  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

He  gave  me  his  word  that  he  would,  but  asked  if  they 
would  have  to  pay  for  the  posters  if  they  gave  them  to 
me.  I  replied  that  they  most  certainly  would.  He  then 
said  that  the  money  to  pay  for  them  had  not  been  col- 
lected, and  asked  if  it  would  be  all  right  for  him  to  go 
on  collecting  it.  I  replied  ' '  Yes. ' '  This  was  Wednesday 
morning. 

Thursday  the  same  boy  came  to  my  office  and  asked 
me  if  I  would  be  willing  to  talk  to  all  who  were  interested 
in  the  affair,  as  I  had  talked  to  a  few  of  them,  saying  that 
it  would  help  him  in  settling  up  matters.  I  told  him  to 
get  word  to  all  interested  to  meet  me  in  a  specified  room. 
That  forenoon  the  word  was  carefully  gotten  to  all  in- 
terested that  I  would  meet  them  in  one  of  the  class  rooms 
at  a  certain  hour.  When  I  entered  the  room  to  talk  to 
them,  I  was  surprised  to  see  the  large  number  present.  I 
had  not  supposed  so  many  were  taking  part  in  it.  I  stated 
the  case  as  it  appeared  to  me,  being  careful  not  to  im- 
pute any  bad  motive  to  those  who  had  originated  it,  but 
to  dwell  rather  on  the  unfortunate  results  that  would 
come  to  our  schools;  and  to  make  clear  the  fact  that  as 
the  head  of  the  school  system  it  was  my  bounden  duty  to 
ward  off  all  things  that  might  bring  harm  to  the  school. 
For  an  hour  I  sat  with  them  and  counselled  with  them 
in  the  very  pleasantest  manner.  They  were  free  to  ask 
questions  and  to  speak  their  minds,  and  I  answered  them 
with  all  frankness.  Whether  my  answers  were  always 
the  best  I  know  not,  but  I  do  know  that  I  won  my  case. 
Their  questions  were  well  put  and  right  to  the  point. 

Some  one  said :  * '  Mr.  Stableton,  why  is  it  they  permit 
university  and  college  students  to  do  these  things,  and 
do  not  think  it  right  for  high  school  scholars  ? ' ' 

I  replied  that  in  most  cases  it  would  doubtless  be 
better  if  university  students  did  not  engage  in  affairs  of 


SOME  SAMPLE  CASES  17 

this  character,  as  they  often  lead  to  some  students '  being 
excluded  from  the  university ;  that  the  university  being 
a  school  for  more  mature  students  did  not  hesitate  to 
sever  the  connection  of  any  who  were  detrimental  to  the 
school ;  that  ordinarily  high  school  scholars  heard  only  of 
the  "big  times"  the  university  students  had  on  such 
occasions,  and  that  those  students  whose  opportunity  for 
further  education  was  cut  short  were  lost  sight  of;  that 
with  young  people  in  the  high  school  our  aim  was  to  give 
each  one  the  best  possible  opportunity  for  a  high  school 
education  and  to  keep  the  school  free  from  everything 
that  might  take  this  opportunity  away  from  any  of  them. 
These  and  many  other  points  were  discussed. 

One  asked:  "Mr.  Stableton,  if  we  pay  for  these 
posters  and  promise  not  to  use  them  as  we  planned,  can- 
not each  of  us  who  helps  pay  for  them,  have  one  to  hang 
up  in  his  room  at  home?" 

This  looked  fair  to  them,  but  I  had  to  say  "No."  I 
stated  that  as  soon  as  it  would  be  known,  and  it  would 
be  known,  that  these  posters  were  hanging  in  the  rooms 
of  Bloomington  seniors  and  juniors,  even  in  their  homes, 
there  would  be  trouble,  and  as  it  would  affect  the  school 
I  must  insist  upon  their  being  given  into  my  hands. 

At  the  close  of  the  conference  they  were  unanimous  to 
do  as  I  requested.  Then  with  good  feeling  and  in  a  happy 
frame  of  mind,  all  passed  back  to  their  studies. 

Thus  far  the  school  had  not  been  excited  by  the  affair, 
but  the  principal  and  I  knew  that  as  soon  as  the  sopho- 
mores and  freshmen  should  hear  what  had  been  planned, 
and  we  knew  they  would  hear  it,  they  would  begin  to 
plan.  The  following  morning  the  leaders  in  these  two 
classes  were  privately  called  in  and  told  what  had  been 
planned  and  that  it  had  all  been  called  off,  that  there 


18  YOUE  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

was  nothing  for  them  to  consider,  that  the  whole  matter 
was  a  thing  of  the  past.  In  this  way  any  counter  plan 
was  forestalled. 

A  day  or  two  later  the  one  hundred  large  posters 
bearing  "rules  and  regulations  for  sophomores  and 
freshmen"  were  delivered  to  me  at  my  office.  And  so 
the  affair  passed  out  of  the  minds  of  the  scholars. 

All  this  time  I  had  been  wondering  who  was  re- 
sponsible for  the  thing's  taking  shape  in  the  mind  of  the 
leading  boy.  I  thought  possibly  a  letter  from  a  boy 
friend  in  some  college  or  university  had  given  him  the 
cue.  Two  weeks  later  the  teacher  who  first  gave  me 
notice  came  into  my  office  and  said :  ' '  Mr.  Stableton,  I 
think  I  owe  you  an  apology.  I  fear  I  was  responsible  for 
that  Rules  and  Regulations  affair.  It  was  this  way — the 
boy  who  was  the  leader  had  spent  an  evening  at  my  home 
a  short  time  before  and  while  entertaining  him,  I  told  him 
of  my  university  life  and  showed  him  a  card  with  those 
rules  and  regulations  on  it,  a  card  that  I  had  hanging  in 
my  room.  And  that  put  the  idea  into  his  head. ' ' 

Then  the  whole  situation  flashed  over  me.  Here  was 
a  teacher  whom  the  scholars  were  taught  to  respect  and 
whom  they  did  respect,  telling  one  of  the  boys  of  the 
most  glorious  time  of  her  college  life  and  reading  with 
him  the  card  that  she  kept  as  a  prized  memento  of  the 
occasion.  Suggestion  had  done  the  rest.  Why  should 
not  they  have  a  "glorious  time?"  Their  teacher  had 
had.  And  why  not? 

I  said  to  her:  "You  are  a  good  woman;  you  mean 
well ;  but  your  lack  of  judgment  came  near  engaging  this 
body  of  five  hundred  scholars  in  a  strife  that  would  have 
degraded  and  disgraced  us  in  the  eyes  of  the  public,  and 
would  have  robbed  us  of  much  valuable  time.  To  pre- 


SOME  SAMPLE  CASES  19 

vent  this  the  high  school  principal  and  myself  gave  two 
or  three  days  of  the  most  nerve-straining  work  that  ever 
comes  to  those  in  authority/' 

I  was  glad  that  I  had  accepted  the  intent  as  the  boys 
had  stated  it,  and  that  I  had  so  felt  that  what  they  stated 
was  true  that  I  could  talk  with  them  with  no  other 
thought  than  that  of  helping  them  to  see  the  situation 
as  I  saw  it;  and  that  as  a  duty  to  them  and  to  the 
school  it  was  my  part  to  prevent  anything  that  would 
hurt  the  school. 

Only  those  who  deal  with  young  people  know  the 
tension  under  which  one  labors  when  handling  a  body  of 
several  hundred  high  school  scholars  at  such  a  time,  in  a 
way  to  hold  their  confidence  so  that  he  can  shape  their 
action,  even  when  he  is  shaping  it  against  that  on  which 
their  hearts  are  set,  and  when,  as  in  this  case,  they  have 
a  precedent  that  in  their  eyes  could  scarcely  be  ques- 
tioned. 

********* 

It  was  just  before  the  opening  of  the  morning  session 
of  school,  Thursday  of  the  third  week  of  school,  one 
September,  that  the  principal  of  the  high  school  stepped 
into  my  office  and  said:  ''Mr.  Stableton,  will  you  talk 
with  the  foot-ball  boys?  They  are  all  stirred  up  this 
morning. ' ' 

I  replied, '  *  Yes.    What 's  the  trouble  ? ' ' 

He  then  told  me  that  Jack  S had  entered  school 

that  morning  and  that  as  Jack  had  been  the  finest  foot- 
ball player  in  the  school  the  year  before,  the  boys  were 
wild  to  have  him  on  the  team ;  that  the  boys  had  asked 
him  if  Jack  would  be  permitted  to  play,  and  that  he  had 
replied  that  the  State  High  School  Athletic  Association 
Rules  said  that  no  one  could  play  who  entered  school 


20  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

later  than  the  beginning  of  the  third  week  of  the  semester. 

The  boys,  boy-like,  had  jumped  at  the  conclusion  that 
the  principal  was,  as  they  put  it,  "  making  too  fine  a 
ruling"  and  so  were  in  an  excited  mood. 

As  soon  as  I  understood  the  situation,  I  asked  the 
principal  to  send  the  captain  to  me.  In  a  moment  he 
came.  He  was  a  splendid,  big  fellow,  and  manly  through 
and  through,  but  impulsive,  and  only  a  boy. 

"What's  the  trouble,  Henry?"  asked  I. 

"Oh,  Jack  S has  entered  school  this  morning 

and  we  fellows  want  him  on  our  team.  He's  the  best 
football  man  in  the  school,  and  WE  NEED  HIM.  The  prin- 
cipal says  he  don't  think  Jack  can  play  under  the  State 
H.  S.  A.  A.  rules,  and  we  think  that  is  shading  a  little 
too  fine." 

I  took  a  sheet  of  paper,  drew  five  spaces,  and  marked 
them  Monday,  Tuesday,  Wednesday,  Thursday,  Friday. 
I  held  up  the  paper  and  asked:  "Where  is  the  middle 
of  the  week,  Henry?" 

Henry  smiled  and  replied:  "Wednesday  noon,  of 
course. ' ' 

Then  I  asked:  "Did  you  ever  hear  of  the  beginning 
of  the  week's  coming  after  the  middle  of  the  week?" 

He  smiled  again,  and  said:  "Nobody  ever  heard  of 
the  beginning  coming  after  the  middle." 

Placing  my  hand  on  his  shoulder,  I  asked :  "Do  you 
wish  me  as  your  superintendent  to  sign  my  name  to  a 
certificate  stating  that  Jack  entered  school  the  beginning 
of  the  third  week,  in  order  that  he  may  play  on  your 
team?  Would  you  respect  me  as  your  superintendent 
if  I  should  do  this  ? "  I  waited  a  moment,  then  Henry, 
looking  me  full  in  the  face,  said:  "Don't  you  do  it.  I'll 
not  ask  you  to  sign  it.  Don't  do  it. 


j ) 


SOME  SAMPLE  CASES  21 

"Will  you  take  this  stand  with  the  boys?"  I  asked. 

1 '  Yes,  I  will, ' '  replied  Henry.  I  patted  him  on  the 
shoulder  and  he  passed  out  of  my  office.  I  knew  I  could 
trust  him. 

Next  I  called  for  Jack  S .  He  was  a  boy  who 

was  greatly  liked  by  all,  both  students  and  faculty.  He 
came  into  my  office,  happy-faced,  shaking  his  head,  and 
saying,  "Please  don't  ask  me  any  questions,  Mr.  Stable- 
ton,  I  want  to  play.''1 

I  took  my  sheet  of  paper  with  the  spaces  for  days 
and  put  the  same  questions  to  Jack  that  I  had  to  Henry. 
At  first  he  said:  "Please  don't  ask  me,"  but  when  I 
placed  my  hand  on  his  shoulder  in  a  kindly  way  and 
waited  a  moment  he  said:  "Mr.  Stableton,  I'll  not  ask 
you  to  sign  such  a  paper,  you  must  not  do  it." 

I  said,  "Jack,  will  you  say  the  same  thing  to  the 
boys?" 

He  replied:   "Yes,  sir.    I  will." 

I  patted  him  on  the  back  and  he  went  out  smiling. 

I  then  asked  the  principal  to  get  word  to  all  the 
football  boys  and  other  athletic  boys  to  meet  me  at  once 
in  a  certain  classroom.  The  room  was  soon  filled.  I 
stepped  to  the  blackboard,  marked  off  five  spaces  and 
named  them  as  I  had  done  on  the  sheet  of  paper.  Again 
I  asked  where  the  middle  of  the  week  would  be  found. 

"Wednesday  noon,"  came  the  answer.  I  then  put 
the  same  questions  to  the  crowd  that  I  had  to  each  of 
the  two  boys,  adding :  ' '  Your  captain  says  he  would  not 
ask  me  to  sign  a  certificate  that  Jack  entered  the  begin- 
ning of  the  third  week,  and  Jack  says  he  would  not  ask 
me  to  sign  it.  Now  what  do  you  boys  wish  me  to  do?" 
Immediately  a  loud  chorus  of  voices  said,  "We  don't 
want  you  to  sign  it.  Don't  do  it."  Only  one  boy  asked, 
' '  But,  Mr.  Stableton,  couldn  't  you  get  around  it  ?  Busi- 


22  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

ness  men  get  around  things."  The  other  boys  said: 
"No,  noy  we  don't  want  you  to  get  around  it." 

I  thanked  them  and  passed  them  on  to  their  school 
work.  All  happy,  no  discontent  anywhere. 

Jack  did  not  play;  but  the  one  game  of  all  games  of 
the  season  that  the  team  and  school  wished  most  to  win, 
they  won.  They  were  happy,  but  they  were  not  more 
happy  than  I. 


CHAPTER  II 

SOME  COMMENTS,  A  FEW  CHARACTERISTICS 
OF  YOUTH  WITH  CONCRETE   CASES 

While  some  teachers  who  have  little  or  no  knowledge 
of  the  physical  and  the  mental  characteristics  that 
should  mark  pupils  of  the  grammar  grades,  and  scholars 
of  the  Junior  and  the  Senior  high  schools,  make  excel- 
lent teachers  in  these  schools,  still  it  is  only  the  few  and 
not  the  many  who  are  blessed  with  an  intuition  that 
enables  them  to  do  this.  Yet  even  these  might  do  far 
superior  work  if  they  understood  the  physical  and  the 
mental  life  movements  of  these  boys  and  girls  as  revealed 
by  special  students  of  this  subject. 

My  acquaintance  with  high  school  teachers  and  gram- 
mar grade  teachers  leads  me  to  believe  that  the  rank  and 
file  of  them  are  not  to  any  great  extent  conversant  with 
the  literature  that  has  been  given  us  by  special  students 
of  this  subject  during  the  past  comparatively  few  years. 

I  have  been  led  to  inquire  why  teachers  whose  work 
should  be  in  perfect  harmony  with  these  recorded  facts, 
have  so  little  interest  in  knowing  them.  Again  and 
again  I  have  asked  these  teachers  why  they  did  not 
familiarize  themselves  with  the  literature  treating  of 
the  physical  and  the  mental  characteristics  of  youth. 
Almost  every  one  of  them  has  said:  "I  don't  enjoy  that 
kind  of  reading,  and  so  do  not  read  it. ' '  One  high  school 
teacher,  one  of  the  ablest  young  high  school  teachers  I 
have  ever  known,  when  asked,  replied:  "Mr.  Stableton, 
I'll  tell  you  why  I  don't  read  that  kind  of  literature; 
it  makes  me  feel  creepy,  and  I  think  most  other  young 
men  teachers  are  affected  just  as  I  am,  and  so  don't 
read  it." 

23 


24  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

I  suspect  this  young  man  gave  me  the  correct  an- 
swer; and  I  can  see  why  in  many  cases  it  would  be  so. 
Many,  very  many,  of  our  high  school  teachers  and  gram- 
mar grade  teachers  are  not  beyond  the  later  period  of 
youth  themselves,  and  so  are  much  given  to  introspec- 
tion, and  as  a  result,  when  in  their  reading  they  come 
upon  some  of  the  distressingly  abnormal  cases,  they 
study  themselves  and  imagine  they  see  the  beginnings 
of  these  abnormalities  within  themselves,  and  so  are 
frightened,  or  "feel  creepy."  This  results  from  the 
fact  that  all  abnormalities,  both  physical  and  mental,  we 
are  told,  are  but  normal  conditions  carried  to  extremes. 
The  very  state  of  the  youth's  mind  makes  it  impossible 
for  him  to  consider  the  abnormal  without  more  or  less 
introspection  that  may,  for  the  reason  given,  be  so  un- 
pleasant as  not  to  be  helpful,  if  not,  indeed,  harmful.  I 
hope,  however,  I  may  be  able  so  to  present  some  of  the 
leading  facts  relating  to  this  subject  that  they  will  be 
attractive  to  teachers  of  these  grades.  It  is  also  true, 
as  someone  has  said,  that  these  characteristics  of  youth 
have  so  much  to  do  with  the  element  of  sex  concerning 
which  there  has  been  so  little  healthful  teaching,  that 
many  teachers  hesitate  to  read  for  fear  of  happening  on 
something  that  might  offend  what  is  called  good  taste. 

But  many  things  concerning  sex  that  teachers  of 
youth  should  know — not  the  things  the  teachers  should 
teach  the  boys  and  girls  concerning  sex,  but  the  things 
teachers  should  know  that  they  may  be  in  the  right  atti- 
tude toward  youth — these  things  it  should  be  possible 
to  state  in  language  offensive  to  none,  but  helpful  to 
many. 

I  have  nothing  to  say  in  this  book  of  what  should  be 
taught  boys  and  girls  of  their  own  development.  That 
is  a  problem  for  others. 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  YOUTH  25 

While  for  many  years  I  have  been  a  student  of  the 
physical  and  the  mental  life  movements  of  boys  and 
girls  from  twelve  years  to  twenty,  still  I  lay  no  claim 
to  originality  in  the  discovery  of  the  facts  I  am  about 
to  state,  though  I  have  seen  them  verified  over  and 
over,  again  and  again,  in  the  great  number  of  boys  and 
girls  whom  I  have  carefully  observed  and  studied.  These 
facts  are  what  specialists  have  discovered  and  recorded. 
Today  they  are  common  knowledge  of  all  who  read  care- 
fully along  this  line.  While  I  lay  no  claim  to  the  orig- 
inal discovery  of  any  of  these  facts,  neither  do  I  lay 
claim  to  originality  in  the  statement  of  them.  In  many 
instances  I  have  quoted  extensively  the  words  of  other 
writers,  and  have  so  indicated.  In  other  cases,  I  have 
kept  so  closely  to  the  wording  of  other  writers  that  these 
parts  too  might  almost  be  included  in  quotation  marks. 

These  facts  are  the  facts  that  have  given  me  a  basis 
for  my  dealings  with  boys  and  girls  of  these  grades  of 
school ;  that  have  helped  me  to  interpret  youth.  I  give 
them  to  the  readers  of  this  book  that  they  may  have  in 
mind  the  facts  that  I  ever  had  in  mind  while  working 
with  young  people  of  these  grades  in  school. 

As  I  have  already  said  in  the  preface,  the  book  is,  to 
a  very  great  extent,  concrete.  The  boys  of  whom  there 
are  many,  the  girls,  and  the  teachers  who  appear  on  its 
pages  are  not  fictitious  people;  but  each  one  is  true  to 
life.  The  concrete  cases  of  my  dealings  with  them  are 
given  in  answer  to  the  questions  so  often  asked:  ''What 
would  you  do  with  this  boy  or  that  boy ;  with  this  girl 
or  that  girl ;  with  this  teacher  or  that  teacher ;  with  this 
situation  or  that  situation?"  An  open  confession  of 
what  I  have  tried  to  do  and  the  manner  of  doing  it  re- 
vealing the  spirit  in  which  I  have  tried  to  do  it,  is  my 
answer. 


26  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

In  the  upper  grammar  grades  and  the  high  schools, 
most  of  the  scholars  come  between  eleven  years  of  age 
and  twenty.  In  the  lower  grammar  grades,  the  fifth  and 
sixth  grades,  we  find  the  greater  number  under  twelve 
years ;  while  in  the  senior  high  school,  wre  now  and  then 
meet  with  a  few  older  than  twenty. 

Pubescence  is  the  term  applied  to  the  physical 
changes  looking  to  reproduction,  that  ordinarily  occur 
in  boys  from  the  thirteenth  year  to  the  sixteenth,  and  in 
girls  a  year  or  two  earlier.  Adolescence  is  the  term  some- 
times considered  as  including  all  the  changes,  both 
physical  and  mental,  that  take  place  in  youth  from  the 
state  of  puberty,  or  pubescence,  to  fully  developed  man- 
hood or  womanhood.  However,  a  slightly  different  use 
of  the  term  adolescence  considers  it  as  applied  to  all 
changes  both  physical  and  mental  beginning  about  the 
twelfth  year  with  the  approach  of  pubescence  and  ex- 
tending into  the  twenties,  to  fully  developed  manhood 
or  womanhood.  This  latter  use  of  the  term  makes  pu- 
bescence but  an  early  phase  of  adolescence.  In  this 
sense,  the  terms  will  be  used  whenever  they  occur  on 
these  pages. 

Sometimes  these  changes  that  usually  take  place  be- 
tween the  thirteenth  year  and  the  sixteenth  in  boys  and 
earlier  in  girls  are  delayed  even  into  the  twenties.  Again 
we  find  them  occurring  earlier  than  the  twelfth  year, 
even  with  pupils  in  our  own  schools.  But  the  delayed 
development  and  the  precocious,  are  the  exceptions,  not 
the  rule. 

Those  who  have  made  careful  investigations  tell  us 
that  among  primitive  peoples  and  in  warmer  climes, 
these  changes  come  at  a  much  earlier  age  than  among 
civilized  peoples  in  temperate  climes.  A  friend  of  mine 
who  was  for  a  number  of  years  a  physician  in  the  Philip- 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  YOUTH  27 

pines,  said  that  the  youngest  mother  he  saw  while  there 
was  but  twelve  years  of  age,  and  that  she  was  the 
mother  of  two  children,  not  twins. 

Says  one  writer :  "As  the  boy  or  girl  enters  the  stage 
of  pubescence,  the  parts  of  the  body  looking  to  repro- 
duction are  rapidly  developed.  The  bones  make  rapid 
growth;  the  muscular  system  is  rounded  out;  a  full- 
ness comes  to  the  chest ;  the  vocal  chords  are  elongated ; 
the  chin  lengthens;  the  nose  gives  up  its  flabby  char- 
acter and  takes  on  stronger  outlines ;  and  the  eye  flashes 
with  a  brilliancy  never  before  known.  New  brain  cen- 
ters are  becoming  active,  and  the  heart  is  pumping  the 
blood  through  the  body  with  an  energy  that  causes  every 
part  of  the  body  to  throb  with  renewed  life. ' '  One  writer 
calls  this  the  second  birth. 

It  is  easy  thus  to  state  these  changes  and  in  a  few 
words  to  sum  them  up ;  but  the  processes  of  nature  in 
working  them  out  are  far  from  uniform.  Sometimes 
like  Jonah's  gourd,  a  night-time  is  sufficient  for  the 
marvelous  change,  while  in  other  cases  years  are  neces- 
sary for  its  accomplishment.  Sometimes  the  life  of 
childhood  seems  to  glide  with  perfect  ease  into  the  life 
of  youth,  and  youth  into  early  manhood  or  womanhood ; 
while  again  these  changes  are  accomplished  with  appar- 
ently great  effort. 

Says  one:  "At  this  time  pug  noses  and  soft  flabby 
noses  of  all  kinds  are  shaped  to  their  final  form  by  the 
cartilage  and  bones  that  push  up  and  give  them  outline. 
The  jaw  shapes  weak  or  strong.  The  peculiar  racial 
characteristics  of  mould  of  face  are  apt  to  become  promi- 
nent. " 

Robert  T.  was  a  beautiful  boy,  ordinarily  bright,  his 
face  of  somewhat  regular  mould,  no  parts  unduly  promi- 
nent, until  about  his  fourteenth  year,  when  the  carti- 


28  YOUE  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

lages  and  bones  of  his  face  began  to  make  rapid  growth. 
At  the  end  of  eighteen  months  the  boy  that  had  been 
was  scarcely  recognizable  in  the  youth  that  was.  Just 
as  the  volcanic  forces  of  the  earth  will  sometimes  sud- 
denly push  up  a  great  volcanic  mount,  changing  the 
appearance  of  the  whole  country  round  about,  so  within 
the  space  of  a  few  months  the  growing  forces  of  his 
body  pushed  up,  a  great  Roman  nose  so  out  of  propor- 
tion to  other  parts  of  his  face  as  to  disfigure  it  forever 
after.  No  ordinary  person  would  have  dreamed  that  his 
slightly  arched  nose  of  childhood  was  the  beginning  of 
the  great  disfigurement  he  was  doomed  to  carry  through 
life. 

But  while  such  cases  as  Robert's  may  be  somewhat 
rare,  it  often  happens  that  the  beautiful  face  of  a  child 
is  only  very  commonplace  after  the  changes  of  this  period 
of  life  have  taken  place ;  and  it  is  just  as  often  that  the 
commonplace  face  of  childhood  is  transformed  into  one 
of  great  beauty.  Character,  weak  or  strong,  now  stands 
out  prominent  in  many  a  newly-moulded  face. 

At  this  time,  too,  we  see  the  tall,  awkward,  gawky 
boy.  "The  boy  whose  body  and  limbs  have  lengthened 
out  of  all  proportion,  until  he  is  tall,  slim,  very  often 
slightly  stooped,  and  awkward  in  every  movement.  Phys- 
ically, he  looks  ready  to  fall  in  a  heap,  and  physically 
that  is  about  his  condition;  for  with  all  this  growth  of 
bones  there  is  as  yet  no  growth  of  muscles  to  hold  this 
long,  bony  framework  erect.  The  muscles  that  held  the 
shorter  body  erect  and  alert  are  not  equal  to  the  task, 
and  must  themselves  take  on  renewed  growth  and  vigor 
to  meet  the  new  demands. " 

"Sometimes  the  bony  framework  at  this  time  makes 
only  a  moderate  growth  in  length,  and  so  gives  us  the 
man  or  woman  of  ordinary  height ;  or  as  again  happens, 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  YOUTH  29 

there  is  little  or  no  growth  in  height,  but  a  broadening 
out,  a  massive  growth  of  bones;  or  in  other  cases,  only 
a  comparatively  slight  lengthening  and  strengthening  of 
the  bony  structure  fitting  it  for  its  work  in  the  life  of 
the  coming  man  or  woman ;  but  whatever  the  changes 
may  be,  this  is  primarily  a  period  of  bone  growth. " 

During  childhood  the  bones  and  the  muscles  have 
grown  with  a  fair  balance  of  adjustment,  thus  giving  the 
free,  graceful,  swift-moving  play  of  childhood,  the  ease 
and  certainty  of  which  add  beauty  to  all  child-life.  But 
with  the  oncoming  of  pubescence  all  this  balance  of  ad- 
justment between  bones  and  muscles  ordinarily  disap- 
pears, and  the  awkwardness  and  the  uncertainty  of 
youth  take  its  place.  This  is  especially  true  where  there 
is  a  great  growth  in  the  length  of  the  bones  with  for  a 
time,  no  corresponding  growth  of  muscles. 

Once  in  a  while  there  is  a  great  growth  of  muscles 
before  the  bones  take  on  growth.  This  results  in  an  un- 
balanced condition  that  gives  the  same  uncertainty  and 
awkwardness. 

Even  after  the  bones  and  muscles  have  made  their 
growth,  time  is  required  for  them  to  become  accustomed 
to  working  together  before  awkwardness  and  uncertainty 
entirely  disappear. 

The  following  is  one  of  the  most  pronounced  cases  of 
uncertainty  and  awkwardness  I  have  ever  observed: 
Theodore  as  a  boy  had  a  small  body,  quick  and  certain 
of  movement  and  full  of  nervous  energy.  He  grew  to 
more  than  six  feet  in  height,  and  he  made  this  growth 
in  so  short  a  time  that  the  adjustments  of  muscles  and 
bones  were  greatly  unbalanced.  The  latter  part  of  his 
first  year  in  high  school  he  began  to  change  rapidly, 
and  when  he  reentered  school  the  following  September, 
he  was  so  completely  changed  that  some  of  the  younger 


30  YOUE  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

teachers  began  to  ask :  ' '  What  is  the  matter  with  Theo- 
dore, he  hardly  knows  which  way  he's  moving,  and  he 
looks  awful."  But  all  his  teachers  said  that  he  was 
keeping  his  class  work  to  the  front,  except  that  his 
written  papers  were  mere  scrawls  and  scratches  that 
taxed  their  skill  to  interpret.  His  forehead  had  become 
massive,  bulging  out  over  his  eyes,  his  hands  and  feet 
looked  so  very  large  and  appeared  too  heavy  for  use. 
As  the  boys  put  it:  "Theodore,  what's  the  matter  with 
your  feet  handles,  can't  they  move  your  feet?  Better 
get  you  some  new  ones. ' '  It  did  not  occur  to  them  that 
that  was  just  what  he  was  doing,  and  that  for  him,  it 
was  a  serious  business. 

At  the  opening  of  the  second  semester  of  this  year, 
his  second  in  high  school,  he  came  into  my  office  to  ask 
advice  in  selecting  his  elective  work  for  the  semester. 
He  was  uncouth  looking,  and  so  awkward  that  he  could 
hardly  sit  down  on  a  chair,  and  when  he  did,  it  was  to 
sit  down,  lean  forward,  and  double  up  almost  like  a 
closing  blade  of  a  pocket-knife.  But  when  he  laid  his 
plans  before  me,  there  was  no  uncertainty  as  to  what 
he  wished  to  do.  He  had  selected  the  course  he  intended 
to  take  in  the  university.  That  for  the  time  being,  at 
least,  was  settled;  but  of  the  elective  work  in  the  high 
school  he  wished  to  know  which  I  thought  would  give 
the  best  foundation  for  his  intended  course  in  the  uni- 
versity. He  wished  to  get  the  best  preparation  the  high 
school  could  give  him  for  his  university  work.  He  was 
uncertainty  itself  and  painfully  awkward  in  every 
movement  of  his  body,  but  his  thinking  was  clear-cut 
and  unusual  for  a  boy  at  his  stage  in  physical  develop- 
ment. Later  on  he  came  into  his  own  physically,  and 
was  a  fine-appearing  young  man  when  two  years  later  he 
graduated  from  the  high  school.  He  entered  the  uni- 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  YOUTH  31 

versity  following  the  course  he  had  selected  his  second 
year  in  the  high  school,  and  after  dropping  out  at  his 
country's  call  to  fight  in  France,  where  he  was  made  an 
officer,  reentered  the  university  and  graduated. 

But  awkwardness  does  not  always  mark  the  boy  who 
grows  tall  and  slim  at  this  time.  Nature  is  so  capricious 
that  none  may  forecast  with  absolute  certainty  what 
may  happen  to  the  youth  at  this  stage  of  his  develop- 
ment. In  general,  we  may  forecast,  but  nature  is  sure 
to  give  the  exception.  However,  the  exception  only 
makes  more  evident  what  is  generally  true. 

Harry  G.  was  under  my  supervision  from  the  time 
of  his  entering  the  first  primary  to  his  graduation  from 
the  high  school.  He  was  always  as  erect  as  grace  and 
beauty  of  movement  would  demand.  When  he  came  to 
the  period  of  rapid  growth  at  the  beginning  of  youth 
he  stretched  up  to  more  than  six  feet  in  height,  slight 
and  graceful,  with  never  a  stoop  of  the  shoulders,  nor 
an  awkward  movement  of  any  part  of  his  body.  He 
towered  head  and  shoulders  above  most  of  his  class- 
mates, but  seemed  unconscious  of  the  fact  that  he  stood 
physically  above  them.  He  had  always  been  a  good 
student,  he  was  still  a  good  student.  If  wild  visions 
passed  before  his  mind,  there  was  nothing  in  his  con- 
duct that  gave  evidence  of  them.  If  the  opposite  sex 
had  any  unusual  attraction  for  him,  no  one  knew  it.  He 
was  always  courteous  and  polite  toward  the  girls,  but 
never  seemed  to  have  favorites. 

The  year  before  he  graduated,  teachers  would  often 
say :  ' '  What  a  handsome  young  man  Harry  is,  what  a 
gentleman  and  scholar.  Why  can't  there  be  more  like 
him?"  No  one  ever  answered  the  question,  for  no  one 
knew.  To  all  appearances  he  had  been  spared  the  pangs 
of  bashfulness  and  awkwardness  that  torment  many. 


32  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

Exacting  or  trying  to  exact  good  written  form  of 
scholars  while  they  are  in  a  wholly  unsettled  state  of 
levers  and  muscles  is  just  about  as  sensible  as  trying  to 
draw  red  blood  out  of  a  turnip.  The  teacher  who  at- 
tempts this  becomes  a  nagger,  and  often  ruins  a 
scholar's  year  in  school  or  drives  him  out  of  school 
altogether.  So  often  boys  who  were  fine  penmen  in  the 
fifth  and  the  sixth  grades  show  a  letting  down  for  a 
time  in  some  higher  grade,  a  letting  down  in  the  written 
form,  due  not  to  any  lack  of  trying  on  their  part,  not  to 
any  unwillingness  on  their  part,  but  to  a  lack  of  ad- 
justment between  their  bones  and  their  muscles!  for 
which  they  are  not  at  all  responsible. 

Take  the  case  of  Theodore  A.,  a  most  painfully  awk- 
ward boy  at  this  period  of  his  life.  Had  his  teachers 
been  exacting  and  nagging  in  trying  to  secure  from  him 
a  better  form  in  his  written  work  than  he  was  able  to 
give,  they  could  have  easily  driven  him  from  school; 
but  with  good  sense  on  their  part,  they  recognized  his 
condition,  appreciated  his  fine  work  even  though  his 
written  form  was  almost  unintelligibly  scrawly;  and 
looked  forward  to  the  time  when  his  written  form  would 
again  show  muscular  control. 

A  teacher  lacking  in  good  judgment  and  the  power 
of  discrimination,  or  what  is  more  probable,  lacking  the 
information  concerning  the  characteristics  of  youth 
that  would  enable  her  to  form  a  good  judgment,  to  dis- 
criminate, will  often  select  some  unusual  boy  like  Harry 
G-.  whose  case  I  have  given  you,  a  boy  with  no  visible 
unsettling,  either  physical  or  mental,  from  childhood  to 
early  manhood,  as  her  ideal  of  what  all  boys  should  be 
at  this  time  in  life,  and  as  a  result,  utterly  fail  as  a 
teacher. 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  YOUTH  33 

It  is  a  fact  that  at  this  period  of  life,  while  many 
boys  cannot  do  the  fine  little  things  in  form  work,  and 
sometimes  in  other  things  they  will  omit  many  of  the 
minor  points  in  a  subject,  points  that  a  mere  memory 
reciter  would  give  with  great  exactness,  still  they  seize 
upon  the  really  important  things  and  present  them  in  a 
way  that  shows  a  wonderful  mastery  of  the  subject. 
Boys  of  this  type  can  be  held  to  little  things  until  they 
almost  lose  their  power  to  do  big  things.  They  seem  to 
have  the  power  to  take  in  ''great  chunks "  of  informa- 
tion in  the  rough  and  get  out  all  that  is  in  them.  If 
given  too  finely  broken  up  information  with  unnecessary 
explanation,  intellectual  dyspepsia  results. 

Don't  destroy  all  their  ruggedness  of  thinking  and 
speech. 

In  singing,  and  in  oral  reading  and  oral  recitation 
work,  at  this  time,  the  teacher  needs  to  exercise  great 
care.  The  boy  who  was  a  beautiful  singer  before  his 
vocal  chords  began  to  lengthen,  now  for  a  time  has  but 
little  or  no  control  of  his  voice.  He  cannot  sing ;  he  does 
not  know  why;  and  often  the  teacher  does  not  know 
why,  so  when  the  boy  fiatly  refuses  because  he  knows  he 
cannot  hold  his  voice  from  squeaking,  the  teacher  at- 
tributes it  to  stubbornness  on  the  boy's  part,  and  then 
the  trouble  begins.  But  when  the  teacher  is  on  the 
lookout  for  changing  voices,  she  easily  controls  the  sit- 
uation. She  does  not  hesitate  to  say  to  this  boy  or  that 
boy:  "Your  voice  is  changing.  You  need  not  try  to 
sing  for  a  while.  Your  voice  will  be  all  right  later. ' ' 

But,  says  one  teacher:  "It  always  makes  trouble 
in  my  school  if  I  excuse  one  boy  from  singing,  so  many 
others  want  to  be  excused." 

All  I  can  say  in  reply  is  that  this  teacher  lacks  the 
proper  control  of  her  school.  It  is  tier  shortage,  not  the 


34  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

boys '  faulty  that  she  cannot  so  conduct  the  work  in  her 
school  as  to  be  able  to  deal  justly  in  all  these  cases.  A 
really  able  teacher  soon  creates  a  school  atmosphere  in 
her  room  that  enables  her  to  do  right  by  any  scholar  and 
not  a  shadow  of  criticism  come  from  the  school. 

Oral  reading  in  the  advanced  grammar  grades  and 
in  the  first  two  years  of  the  high  school  often  fails  in 
comparison  with  that  done  by  these  same  scholars  when 
in  the  sixth  grade  and  the  first  half  of  the  seventh,  be- 
cause of  the  lack  of  voice  control  due  to  lengthening  and 
thickening  vocal  chords.  Oral  recitations  are  sometimes 
mere  stumbling  attempts  for  the  same  reason,  and  also 
from  the  fact  that  the  scholar  is  often  so  self-conscious, 
so  bashful,  as  he  stands  up  in  the  presence  of  the  class 
that  he  loses  all  power  to  think. 

I  have  again  and  again  heard  some  young  high  school 
teacher  say:  "I  have  some  boys  in  my  classes  in  Eng- 
lish who  can  scarcely  read  so  as  to  be  understood  when 
they  stand  up  before  the  class.  I  wonder  what  their 
teachers  in  the  elementary  schools  were  doing  that  they 
never  taught  them  to  read?" 

The  fact  is  this  teacher  knew  Jier  English  but  had 
no  knowledge  of  adolescent  boy  life.  She  was  directing 
her  critical  questioning  toward  the  very  able  teachers 
of  these  boys  in  the  grammar  grades,  teachers  who  in 
their  power  to  teach  were  so  far  above  her  that  their 
work  could  not  be  compared. 

But  do  not  misunderstand  me.  I  would  not  un- 
justly criticize  this  young  high  school  teacher.  She  was 
not  wholly  at  fault.  The  university  had  prepared  her 
to  be  a  high  school  teacher  but  had  taught  her  nothing 
of  the  boys  and  the  girls  she  was  expected  to  teach. 

Out  of  just  such  material  as  this  principals  and 
superintendents  in  the  past  have  been  compelled  to 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  YOUTH  35 

make  teachers.  I  remember  one  young  man  who  taught 
his  first  year  of  school  in  our  high  school.  He  was 
finely  equipped  in  the  subject-matter  he  was  to  teach, 
yet  had  heard  nothing  of  the  problems  he  was  to  meet 
in  the  boys  and  girls.  But  he  was  teachable.  His  prin- 
cipal and  superintendent  gave  him  every  possible  at- 
tention and  watched  with  pleasure  his  growth  in  power 
as  a  teacher. 

At  the  close  of  the  school  year  just  as  he  was  start- 
ing home  for  his  summer  vacation,  he  called  at  the  sup- 
erintendent's office  to  thank  the  superintendent  and  the 
principal  for  their  very  great  help  to  him,  adding  that 
if  his  professors  in  the  university  had  been  half  so  care- 
ful to  teach  him  as  his  superintendent  and  principal  had 
been  the  past  year,  he  would  not  have  been  so  foolish  as 
he  was  when  he  began  his  teaching.  "I  have  learned 
more  this  year,"  said  he,  "than  in  any  year  I  was  in  the 
university. ' ' 

Today  colleges  and  universities  that  prepare  young 
men  and  women  for  teachers  in  our  high  schools  are 
giving  courses  in  school  management  and  teaching  that 
throw  much  light  on  the  phases  of  the  work  that  have 
been  so  long  neglected.  I  am  glad  this  change  in  the 
preparation  of  teachers  for  high  schools  has  come. 


CHAPTER  III 

CHARACTERISTICS    OF    YOUTH,    WITH    CON- 
CRETE   CASES    (Continued) 

Pubescence  means  hairy.  This  is  not  only  the  period 
for  bone  and  muscle  growth,  but  it  is  also  the  time  when 
the  upper  lip  of  the  boy  begins  to  darken ;  or  it  may  be 
the  hairy  growth  creeps  down  in  front  of  his  ears,  or 
straggling  patches  sprout  out  on  his  chin,  giving  a  dirty, 
unkempt  look  until  the  sharpness  of  the  razor  is  called 
upon  to  remove  the  appearance  of  dirt  that  will  not 
wash  off. 

But  all  these  visible  physical  changes  are  but  the 
accompanying  physical  changes  of  a  still  more  funda- 
mental physical  change  that  is  preparing  the  body  for 
the  great  work  of  reproduction.  "Any  retardation, 
whatever  its  cause,  in  the  perfecting  of  the  parts  of  the 
body  looking  specially  to  the  work  of  reproduction, 
manifests  itself  somewhere  in  the  accompanying  physical 
changes. ' ' 

We  school  men  know  very  little  of  the  physical 
causes  that  may  result  in  the  retardation  of  the  body  in 
its  development  for  reproduction.  We  see  the  effects  of, 
to  us,  some  unknown  causes  and  often  are  helpless  to 
render  assistance.  We  are  not  much  better  than  blind 
leaders  of  the  blind  in  our  efforts  in  school  in  behalf  of 
some  of  these  retarded  cases. 

The  following  is  a  type  of  cases  where  the  teachers 
see  the  result  but  know  not  the  causes.  I  question 
whether  or  not,  the  school  did  anything  very  helpful 
for  the  boy.  In  the  light  of  wider  experience,  I  am  con- 
fident that  it  would  have  been  far  better  for  him  had  he 
been  out  of  school  for  a  year  or  two  when  he  first  began 

36 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  YOUTH  37 

to  manifest  arrested  development,  providing  he  could 
have  had  interesting  occupation  of  some  kind  under 
good  environment. 

This  boy  did  good  school  work  through  the  eight 
grades,  and  at  fourteen  and  one-half  years  of  age  en- 
tered the  high  school.  He  was  then  physically  as  much 
a  boy  as  at  twelve;  and  for  the  three  years  following 
his  entrance  into  the  high  school,  made  no  further  de- 
velopment physically,  and  seemed  to  lose,  rather  than 
gain,  mentally.  The  first  year  in  high  school,  he 
worked  by  "fits  and  starts,"  but  his  efforts  showed  less 
and  less  vigor.  He  failed  to  pass  in  a  large  part  of  his 
year's  work.  The  next  fall  his  parents  asked  me  what  I 
thought  they  ought  to  do  with  the  boy,  keep  him  in 
school  or  let  him  remain  out.  They  finally  decided  to 
keep  him  in  school,  for  it  was  a  question  of  the  school 
or  the  street.  They  said  he  was  in  good  health,  although 
he  had  ceased  to  grow,  and  that  they  felt  that  as  long  as 
he  was  well,  he  was  better  off  in  school,  even  though  he 
failed  to  do  a  full  year 's  work.  They  could  not  account 
for  his  condition,  nor  could  their  family  physician.  He 
was  kept  in  school  the  entire  year  and  made  but  little 
progress  in  his  school  work. 

A  few  weeks  before  the  close  of  the  year,  one  of  the 
teachers  said  to  me  that  she  thought  he  ought  to  be  put 
out  of  school,  that  she  had  no  use  for  a  boy  who  could 
do  good  work  and  would  not  do  it.  I  asked  her  if  he 
was  disorderly  or  disturbed  her.  She  replied  that  he 
was  not  disorderly  and  did  not  disturb  her,  but  that  she 
was  tired  of  working  with  a  boy  who  ought  to  do  good 
work  and  did  not.  I  then  asked  her  where  she  would 
have  him  go;  she  did  not  know  just  so  he  was  out  of  her 
way.  I  then  asked  her  if  she  had  thought  of  his  age 
and  physical  condition ;  she  had  not ;  if  she  had  thought 


38  YOUE  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

of  these  things  in  connection  with  other  members  of  his 
home;  she  had  not.  I  then  called  her  attention  to  the 
fact  that  he  was  a  boy  in  his  seventeenth  year  with  the 
body  of  a  boy  of  twelve;  that  his  sister,  two  years 
younger,  was  even  more  diminutive  and  undeveloped 
physically,  but  was,  intellectually,  one  of  the  strongest 
in  the  school;  that  his  two  older  sisters  had  developed 
young,  physically  and  mentally,  and  were  strong,  both 
in  mind  and  in  body ;  and  that  one  of  them  at  that  time 
weighed  more  than  two  hundred  pounds.  She  had  not 
thought  of  these  things.  To  me  they  were  an  interesting 
study. 

I  could  not  call  the  boy  a  boy  of  poor  mentality,  but 
he  was  a  boy  long  after  the  ordinary  time  for  his  passing 
to  youth  and  early  manhood.  Why,  I  do  not  know; 
neither  do  I  know  why  his  sister,  two  years  younger, 
should  cease  to  grow  physically  and  yet  take  on  un- 
usual mental  power. 

This  boy  continued  in  high  school  the  third  year, 
doing  but  little  better  in  his  work.  The  third  year  closed 
his  school  life.  He  was,  at  this  time,  not  so  strong 
physically  as  he  had  been,  so  went  to  live  on  a  western 
cattle  ranch,  hoping  the  outdoor  life  would  benefit  him. 
After  a  year  on  the  ranch,  I  met  him  again.  He  was  so 
changed  that  I  did  not  recognize  him  'till  his  father 
said,  "Mr.  Stableton,  this  is  our  boy."  He  was  a  vig- 
orous, independent  young  man.  The  year  had  brought 
him  greater  changes  than  the  previous  three  years. 

As  I  said  at  the  beginning  of  this  sketch,  I  think  the 
boy  would  have  been  better  off  had  he  been  given  out- 
door life  for  a  year  or  two,  under  good  environments,  at 
the  time  when  he  first  ceased  to  grow  and  to  do  school 
work ;  but  in  these  cases  no  one  knows  what  is  best  and, 
as  with  this  boy,  parents  are  often  not  able  to  provide 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  YOUTH  39 

anything  that  gives  an  environment  that  they  are  will- 
ing to  trust  as  they  do  the  school,  so  hold  the  boy,  or  it 
may  be  the  girl,  in  school.  They  do  this,  feeling  that 
there  is,  to  some  extent,  good  in  the  carefully  guarded 
environment  of  the  school. 

It  is  no  doubt  true  that  the  school  is  a  safer  place  for 
the  boy  than  the  street,  but  the  school,  to  some  extent, 
suffers  from  his  being  there.  The  teacher  of  whom  I 
have  spoken  in  relation  to  this  boy  was  not  a  careless  in- 
different teacher,  but  the  very  opposite.  She  was  en- 
thusiastic and  earnest,  and  she  felt  that  he  only  in- 
creased the  inertia  of  the  class  she  would  move.  She 
was  right  in  this,  for  he  did  add  to  her  load.  No  one  of 
this  type  can  be  in  a  class  without  adding  to  the  burden 
of  the  conscientious  teacher.  At  the  Yale  commence- 
ment, June,  1909,  President  Hadley  discussed  Honor 
Courses.  In  his  address,  he  said  that  the  honor  students 
suffer  from  the  presence  of  the  pass  students,  or  in  other, 
plainer  words,  I  may  express  what  he  meant  by  saying 
that  the  honor  students,  those  inspired  by  a  desire  for 
the  highest  scholarship,  are  prevented  from  accomplish- 
ing all  that  they  might,  by  the  requirements  that  are 
necessary  on  account  of  the  presence  of  the  pass 
students,  those  who  are  not  working  for  scholarship,  but 
only  attempting  to  make  the  minimum  requirements  for 
a  pass;  that  thus  far  the  university  had  not  been  able 
to  so  organize  its  student  body  as  to  free  the  honor  men 
from  the  hindrance  offered  by  the  presence  of  the  pass 
men. 

So  in  grammar  grades  and  in  our  secondary,  or 
public  high  schools,  the  teachers  often  find  their  work 
heavier  from  the  presence  of  those  for  whom  the  public 
makes  no  other  provision,  and  whom  the  school  author- 
ities have  neither  legal  nor  moral  right  to  exclude  from 


40  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

the  school.  The  boy  of  whom  I  have  just  been  speaking, 
represents  only  one  class  of  those  whose  right  to  be  in 
the  high  school  teachers  sometimes  question  because  of 
the  seemingly  little  they  accomplish.  But,  on  the  other 
hand,  who  knows  what  high  school  student  receives  the 
greatest  good  from  the  high  school? 

I  must  say  one  word  more  about  this  teacher  and 
the  boy  before  leaving  them.  You  have  sometimes  seen 
little  boys  playing  when  one  would  accidentally  hurt 
another,  and  then,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  the  injured 
boy  would  say,  ' '  It  don 't  hurt  very  bad ;  he  didn  't  mean 
to  do  it."  The  fact  that  his  friend  "didn't  mean  to  do 
it"  takes  away  all  bitterness  and  calls  up  the  courageous 
spirit.  Had  this  teacher  fully  appreciated  that  the  boy 
was  not  responsible  for  his  lack  of  power  in  the  prep- 
aration of  his  lessons,  she  would  have  had  a  different 
feeling  toward  the  boy  and,  as  a  result,  would  have  been 
much  happier.  The  nervous  energy  spent  in  worrying 
over  what  could  not  be  helped,  would  have  been  saved 
for  pushing  forward  the  work  of  the  class,  and  the  boy, 
as  well  as  the  other  members  of  the  class,  would  have 
been  better  taught. 

A  short  time  ago  I  called  the  attention  of  one  of  our 
leading  physicians  to  a  girl  in  one  of  our  third  grades. 
She  was  not  an  imbecije,  but  while  only  twelve  years  of 
age,  with  the  intellect  of  a  child,  she  had  the  body  of  a 
girl  of  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  weighed  about 
one  hundred  sixty  pounds. 

After  seeing  the  girl,  he  said :  ' '  There  is  something 
wrong  with  her  thyroid  gland.  There  is  too  great 
physical  growth.  Doubtless  with  proper  treatment,  she 
could  be  greatly  helped." 

We  are  told  that  help  could  be  given  many  of  these 
arrested  and  abnormal  cases  by  proper  medical  treat- 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  YOUTH  41 

ment,  but  that  all  the  causes  that  bring  arrested  de- 
velopment or  other  abnormalities  are  not  fully  under- 
stood, even  by  the  best  posted  of  the  medical  fraternity ; 
that  the  functions  of  certain  glands  in  the  economy  of 
the  body  are  known  only  to  a  limited  extent ;  that  at  the 
present  time  much  study  is  being  given  to  the  work  of 
these  glands  that  may  throw  a  flood  of  light  on  many 
of  the  problems  of  physical  and  mental  development. 
As  the  medical  fraternity's  field  of  knowledge  is  ex- 
tended, greater  help  will  come  to  the  teachers,  for  the 
work  of  the  teacher  is  very  largely  dependent  upon  the 
condition  of  the  physical  body  of  the  child  or  youth. 
The  teacher  must  look  to  the  skilled  physician  for  in- 
formation concerning  the  youth's  physical  condition. 

I  have  no  doubt  that  many  of  the  hindrances  that 
the  teacher  meets  in  his  work  are  deep-seated  in  the 
physical  body. 

I  have  spoken  of  a  more  fundamental  physical  change 
at  this  time,  a  change  on  which  all  other  changes  seem 
to  be  attendant.  "This  is  the  great  change  that  takes 
place  in  certain  centers  of  the  nervous  system  and  in 
certain  glands  at  this  period  of  life.  Brain  centers  that 
until  now  have  had  a  very  little  part  to  play  in  life,  for 
a  time  become  very  active.  The  sex  element  in  the 
scholar's  life  up  to  now  has  been  largely  a  sealed  book 
to  him.  I  say  largely,  speaking  cautiously,  for  long  be- 
fore this  the  dawn  of  the  awakening  of  the  sex  instinct 
has  come  to  many.  But  now  Nature  is  opening  wide  the 
book  within  the  walls  of  his  own  being."  The  scholar 
does  not  always  understand  the  reading.  But  I'm  not 
speaking  of  what  of  themselves  should  be  taught  schol- 
ars. That  is  another  subject. 

The  wonderfully  constructed  nervous  system  is 
uniquely  responsive  to  the  sex  instinct,  and  at  this  period 


42  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

the  development  of  the  nervous  system  seems  peculiarly 
affected  by  this  instinct.  ' '  The  perfecting  of  the  nervous 
system  in  its  relation  to  the  organs  of  reproduction  is  the 
greatest  accomplishment  of  the  physical  body  at  this 
period  of  life." 

As  the  nervous  system  is  also  the  seat  of  the  emotions, 
and  of  thought,  we  can  see  how  closely  the  thought  and 
the  emotions  of  youth  would  center  around  the  sex  idea. 
One  noted  writer  says  that  for  a  time  at  this  period  of 
life,  two-thirds  of  the  thinking  is  centered  on  the  sub- 
ject of  sex. 

The  mental  life  of  scholars  of  this  age,  including 
both  the  intellectual  and  the  emotional  life,  is  a  story  of 
marvelous  interest.  "We  stand  in  admiration  in  the 
presence  of  the  young  man  who  has  just  come  into  full 
possession  of  a  physically  perfect  manhood,  whose 
physical  strength  and  beauty  words  fail  to  describe ;  the 
charm  of  whose  being  holds  us  spellbound;  yet,  the 
changes  a  few  years  have  wrought  in  his  physical  body 
at  this  period  are  not  greater  than  his  mental  and 
spiritual  transformation  of  the  same  years ;  and  the  re- 
sulting mental  and  spiritual  strength  and  beauty  often 
tower  transcendent  ally  over  the  physical,  or  as  some- 
times happens,  all  mental  and  spiritual  strength  and 
beauty  seem  to  be  lost  or  buried  under  a  flood  of  gross 
and  sensual  thoughts. ' ' 

Quoting  again:  "It  is  a  time  when  the  very 
fountains  of  the  emotions  seem  to  be  let  loose  and  the 
newly-awakened  passions  often  sweep  like  a  whirlwind 
over  the  boy,  almost  breaking  him  from  his  moorings  of 
mental  sanity.  Reason  in  many  cases  has  not  yet 
asserted  her  sway;  she  is  often  tardy  in  coming  to  the 


CHARACTERISTICS  OP  YOUTH  43 

"Today  and  tomorrow  no  longer  occupy  all  his 
thoughts.  Life  begins  to  open  up  with  a  new  meaning. 
He  feels  and  sees  himself  as  a  part  of  society,  destined 
to  take  his  place  in  the  great  active,  thronging  field  of 
life.  Cause  and  effect  begin  to  link  themselves  together 
and  everything  appears  to  him  with  a  question  as  to 
their  relation  to  everything  else." 

Still  again:  "This  opening  up  to  him  of  great 
vistas,  this  looking  for  the  first  time  into  the  future,  his 
future  with  no  experience  in  the  past  that  enables  him 
to  see  how  to  meet  it,  produces  in  many  a  boy  feelings 
of  uncertainty  and  self -mistrust ;  while  at  the  same  time 
his  rapidly  lengthening  limbs  and  swelling  muscles  are 
not  perfectly  under  control,  his  hands  and  arms  are  in 
his  way,  and  the  muscles  of  his  legs  are  unable  to  handle 
his  feet  with  ease.  Do  you  wonder  that  a  feeling  of  un- 
certainty is  seen  in  all  that  he  does?  He  is  ill  at  ease 
with  himself  and  so  self-conscious  that  he  is  ill  at  ease 
with  others.  He  hesitates  to  meet  strangers  and  when 
compelled  to  meet  them  is  painfully  bashful.  Some- 
times this  is  just  reversed,  the  boy  instead  of  being  self- 
conscious  and  bashful,  is  anxious  to  show  off,  to  be 
smart  even  to  an  offensive  degree.  Whichever  it  may  be, 
the  type  is  but  the  result  of  the  physical  and  the  ac- 
companying mental  changes  incident  to  adolescence. 

Ben  M.  completed  his  eighth  grade  and  entered  the 
high  school  when  thirteen  years  of  age.  He  was  a 
boy  of  good  mental  parts,  not  brilliant,  but  had  the  gift 
of  persistent  work  so  that  he  always  ranked  high  in  his 
studies.  He  was  merely  a  boy  in  his  friendships  and  in 
his  play  up  to  the  beginning  of  his  second  year  in  the 
high  school  when  a  change  came  over  him  and  he  sought 
older  boys  for  his  friends:  he  became  self-conscious 
and  giggly,  so  giggly  that  he  was  annoying  to  one  of  his 


44  YOUE  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

teachers  whose  nerves  were  quite  on  edge.  He  had 
never  been  a  boy  to  interrupt  or  disturb  school  in  any 
way,  nor  did  he  now  wish  to  be  annoying,  but  his 
nervously  disturbed  condition  caused  him  to  blush  and 
giggle  wherever  he  might  be.  One  day  his  teacher  in 
English  said  to  me  that  Ben's  written  English  was  ex- 
cellent, but  that  his  monthly  report  was  low  in  English 
because  he  had  failed  to  recite  orally  before  the  class 
and  that  he  never  more  than  began  his  oral  themes. 

Shortly  after  talking  with  his  teacher,  I  was  passing 
by  the  manual  training  shop  where  Ben  happened  to  be 
working.  I  asked  permission  of  the  shop  teacher  to  speak 
with  Ben.  Ben  stepped  into  the  corridor  to  see  me.  I 
greeted  him  pleasantly  so  as  to  put  him  at  ease.  We 
were  close  friends.  Then  I  asked  about  his  English 
saying:  "What  is  the  trouble  with  your  oral  English, 
Ben?  You  have  always  stood  high  in  English."  He 
blushed  and  hesitatingly  said:  "I'm  too  bashful,  I 
can't  stand  up  before  the  class  and  talk."  And  then 
he  giggled. 

I  replied :  "All  right,  Ben,  do  your  best,  you'll  soon 
get  over  your  bashf ulness, "  and  left  him  to  his  work 
in  the  shop. 

In  the  same  class  with  him  was  a  boy  of  the  smart 
type,  anxious  to  show  off.  He  did  brilliant  work  in  his 
English,  especially  his  oral  English.  It  gave  him  an  op- 
portunity to  "shine"  and  he  thoroughly  enjoyed  it. 

But  I  remember  one  occasion,  not  in  English,  when 
his  smartness  brought  confusion.  On  this  occasion  at 
the  noon  intermission  he  called  at  the  principal's  office 
and  asked  the  principal  to  excuse  him  that  afternoon  at 
2 :30  as  he  had  to  have  some  work  done  on  a  tooth  and 
the  dentist  had  set  the  time  at  2 :30  p.  m.  saying  he  could 
not  give  him  a  later  hour.  Such  things  sometimes  hap- 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  YOUTH  45 

pened,  but  it  was  the  principal's  habit  always  to  call  up 
the  dentist  to  see  if  a  later  hour  could  not  be  arranged. 
So  when  this  boy  made  his  request,  the  principal  very 
naturally  asked :  ' '  Who  is  your  dentist  ? ' '  The  boy  re- 
plied: "Dr.  Me ." 

"What?"  said  the  principal.     "Dr.  Me has 

been  in  France  with  the  army  for  the  past  six  months. 
Don't  you  ever  again  ask  me  to  excuse  you.  Pass  to 
your  work. ' '  He  passed. 

********* 

Daniel  was  under  my  supervision  from  his  entering 
the  first  primary  to  the  close  of  his  Junior  year  in  the 
high  school.  There  was  never  a  time  in  his  school  life 
when  he  did  not  rank  at  the  very  front  in  scholarship ; 
and  in  conduct  always  made  the  heart  of  a  teacher  glad. 

At  the  middle  of  the  seventh  grade  he  became  ex- 
ceedingly nervous.  He  was  then  in  his  thirteenth  year. 
He  was  so  nervous  that  any  attempt  at  oral  work  caused 
him  to  break  down  in  a  flood  of  tears.  As  soon  as  the 
situation  was  understood  by  the  teacher,  he  was  excused 
from  all  oral  work.  Written  work  either  on  paper  or 
before  the  school  on  the  blackboard  he  did  with  no  em- 
barrassment. 

Before  the  seventh  grade  year  closed,  on  the  advice 
of  the  family  physician,  he  was  taken  out  of  school  that 
he  might  live  outdoors.  This  seemed  to  do  him  great 
good  so  that  at  the  opening  of  school  the  following  Sep- 
tember he  was  able  to  take  his  place  in  school  and, 
having  made  up  what  he  had  missed  of  the  seventh 
grade  work,  was  passed  into  the  eighth  grade. 

For  a  time  all  went  well,  then  the  nervousness  began 
to  annoy  him  again.  He  was  excused  again  from  all 
oral  work.  This  prolonged  his  stay  in  school  but  finally 


46  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

his  physician  said  that  he  must  have  outdoor  freedom. 
He  remained  out  of  school  all  the  latter  part  of  the 
eighth  grade  year  but  at  the  close  of  the  year,  he  was 
well  up  with  all  the  eighth  grade  work  and  so  was  pro- 
moted to  the  high  school.  These  two  years  he  had  grown 
in  height  quite  rapidly  but  otherwise  showed  little  evi- 
dence of  the  changes  of  puberty.  The  first  two  years  in 
the  high  school  were  but  a  continuation  of  his  condition 
in  the  seventh  and  the  eighth  grades.  His  scholarship 
was  fine,  but  at  times  he  was  so  nervous  that  he  was  ex- 
cused from  all  oral  work,  and  was  given  the  privilege  of 
being  out  of  school  whenever  his  physician  so  advised. 

At  the  opening  of  his  third  year  in  high  school,  the 
changes  of  pubescence  were  pretty  fully  accomplished. 
His  body  was  tall  and  erect,  his  muscles  finely  rounded 
out;  his  voice  had  taken  on  a  heavier  quality,  he  was 
deeply  interested  in  all  the  social  activities  of  his  class ; 
and  welcomed  appointments  on  committees  that  he  might 
help  direct  affairs.  His  timidity  was  now  largely  a  thing 
of  the  past.  He  could  recite  orally  with  the  best  and 
was  regular  in  school  to  the  close  of  the  year.  He  was 
now  quite  strong  physically  as  well  as  mentally  and  of 
unusually  fine  appearance. 

All  the  way  through  these  five  years  his  parents 
were  in  close  touch  with  the  school.  They  were  at  times 
very  deeply  concerned  for  fear  all  might  not  be  well  in 
the  end,  but  his  physician  said  that  while  the  changes 
came  slowly  and  with  an  extremely  nervous  condition, 
still  with  patience  and  care,  he  would  arrive  at  early 
manhood  in  a  good  state  both  physically  and  mentally. 
In  his  case,  five  years  were  taken  for  the  accomplishment 
of  changes  that  often  require  but  a  few  months. 

"The  activity  of  the  organs  which  connect  the  in- 
dividual with  the  race  is  accompanied  by  powers  and 


CHARACTERISTICS  OP  YOUTH  47 

instincts  which  affect  his  mental  life  in  all  its  various 
aspects  and  mark  the  beginning  of  a  new  life,  intellec- 
tually, emotionally,  and  morally.  At  puberty  the  dif- 
ferences between  the  individuals  as  well  as  the  differ- 
ences between  the  two  sexes  become  marked  and  char- 
acteristic. Plays  and  pastimes  of  childhood  lose  their 
attractiveness.  With  the  child,  life  is  all  play  and  fairy- 
tales, and  learning  the  external  properties  of  things; 
with  youth  it  is  bodily  exercises,  exercises  of  a  more 
systematic  sort,  novels  of  the  real  world,  boon  fellow- 
ship and  song,  friendship  and  love,  nature  and  travel 
and  adventure,  science  and  philosophy." 

'  *  There  is  at  puberty  a  great  increase  in  vitality  and 
energy.  This  is  manifest  in  the  increased  power  to  re- 
sist disease,  by  great  mental  activity  and  the  like.  The 
great  evolution  of  energy  and  the  corresponding  influx 
of  emotional  vitality  may  objectify  itself  in  many  dif- 
ferent ways.  With  some  it  may  result  in  merely 
greater  physical  activity;  with  others,  it  gives  an  im- 
pulse to  intellectual  work;  with  still  others  it  leads  to 
social  and  altruistic  activity:  A  love  affair,  poetry,  re- 
ligion, political  fanaticism,  bizarre  actions,  general  per- 
versity and  insanity,  are  all  possible  outlets.  The  whole 
subject  is  most  complicated.  It  involves  the  most  pro- 
found questions  of  life  and  heredity.  What  the  phe- 
nomena in  any  particular  case  may  be  depends  largely 
upon  one's  health,  education,  inherited  tendencies,  tem- 
perament and  the  like." 

At  the  close  of  pubescence,  or  shortly  before,  the 
philosophy  of  all  things  makes  tremendous  appeal  to 
youth.  The  mind  is  occupied  with  the  why  and  where- 
fore of  all  things  as  never  before.  Great  mental  power 
seems  to  be  let  loose  and  to  occupy  itself  with  the  very 
fundamentals  of  life. 


48  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

One  writer  who  has  made  extensive  investigations 
tells  us  that  a  good  part  of  the  world's  work  along  phil- 
osophical lines  has  been  done  by  men  scarcely  beyond 
the  later  adolescent  years. 

The  unsettled  state  of  the  world  since  the  beginning 
of  the  Great  World  War  has  greatly  stimulated  the 
study  of  the  economic  and  the  social  problems  of  the 
world  by  high  school  scholars  of  certain  groups  among 
the  more  mature  scholars.  Books,  magazines  and  news- 
papers are  watched  from  day  to  day  and  everything 
bearing  on  the  economic  and  the  social  questions  of  the 
day  is  read  with  avidity. 

Most  of  the  thinking  of  these  scholars  of  high  school 
age  aroused  by  this  extensive  reading  on  these  subjects, 
seems  to  have  a  wholesome  trend ;  but  in  a  few  instances 
the  streams  of  thought  seem  to  be  polluted  by  the  read- 
ing of  books  of  a  radical  character,  books  and  articles 
against  all  existing  forms  of  government.  Only  by 
being  near  the  thought  of  these  scholars  can  one  realize 
how  now  and  then  some  bright,  erratic  scholar  for  a 
time,  at  least,  is  carried  away  by  reading  the  writings 
of  radicals. 

Generally  where  scholars  seem  to  be  sympathizing 
with  the  anarchistic  doctrines  of  these  radical  writers, 
it  is  only  the  outcropping  in  these  boys  of  the  adolescent 
desire  to  be  conspicuous,  to  attract  attention  by  advo- 
cating the  things  that  astound  their  associates  and 
friends. 

As  the  adolescent  craving  for  notoriety  fades  out  the 
scholar  of  this  type  usually  comes  back  to  sane  feeling 
and  thinking  on  all  the  disturbing  problems  of  the  day, 
and  to  unbounded  loyalty  to  his  own  government  and 
country. 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  YOUTH  49 

Warren  N.  was  a  beautiful  boy  in  the  grammar 
grades,  with  an  expressive  face  that  would  attract  at- 
tention in  any  school.  All  his  teachers  spoke  in  high 
praise  of  him,  although  in  the  eighth  grade,  I  can  see 
the  teacher  smile  as  she  said  it,  "  Warren  is  a  dear  boy, 
so  bright  and  so  attractive,  but  just  now  he  likes  to 
show  off  to  attract  attention. ' ' 

In  the  high  school  the  first  two  years  he  did  fairly 
good  work,  but  never  stood  in  the  highest  rank.  One 
teacher  to  whom  he  looked  for  guidance  and  real  friend- 
ship more  than  to  any  other,  became  very  greatly  in- 
terested in  him.  One  day  in  talking  with  me  of  him  she 
said  that  he  could  make  a  high  record  in  his  work  if  he 
would,  but  that  he  had  said  he  did  not  care  to  make  high 
grades ;  that  all  he  cared  for  was  to  have  good  grades  in 
school  and  plenty  of  time  for  outside  reading.  This 
was  his  aim  at  that  time,  a  fair  record  in  his  school 
studies  and  plenty  of  time  for  reading.  Another  day 
this  same  teacher  said  to  me  that  she  did  not  think 
Warren  was  reading  the  kind  of  literature  he  should 
read.  "Why,"  said  she,  "he  is  reading  and  filling  his 
mind  full  of  the  worst  of  radical  and  anarchistic  doc- 
trines and  persists  in  trying  to  thrust  them  on  one  when 
one  engages  him  in  conversation.  You  know  how  bright, 
happy-spirited  and  interesting  he  has  always  been,  but 
now  he  is  losing  all  that  and  is  sour,  and  critical  of 
everything  in  this  country  that  we  hold  good." 

One  evening  a  short  time  after  this  conversation, 
Warren  called  at  my  home  to  talk  over  some  school 
affair  in  which  he  was  to  have  a  part.  He  needed  assist- 
ance in  some  way.  I  gave  it. 

He  visited  with  me  for  quite  a  little  while ;  told  me 
what  he  had  been  reading  and  what  he  thought  of  it. 
He  had  read  so  carefully  that  he  could  almost  repeat 


50  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

the  words  of  the  writers ;  I  could  see,  too,  that  when  he 
spoke  of  the  theories  he  was  reading,  he  was  committing 
himself  to  the  better  things  set  forth  by  the  writer. 

I  studied  him  carefully  while  he  talked,  believing 
that  it  was  only  another  case  of  an  adolescent  seeking 
the  unusual,  the  unpopular,  for  the  sake  of  attracting 
attention;  that  his  state  of  mind  would  not  be  lasting. 

I  entered  into  no  discussion  with  him,  but  seemingly 
paid  no  attention  to  what  he  was  saying  of  his  reading, 
and  his  thinking.  I  did  not  wish  to  cause  him  to  feel 
that  I  was  at  all  concerned  about  what  he  was  reading. 

When  the  United  States  entered  the  World  War  and 
our  body  of  high  school  scholars  was  aflame  with  patriot- 
ism, Warren  came  near  bringing  the  ill-will  of  the 
whole  school  on  himself  by  making  some  remarks  that 
were  considered  unpatriotic.  The  principal  of  the  high 
school  very  frankly  told  him  that  his  words  and  con- 
versation must  be  above  criticism  from  the  patriotic 
standpoint  or  the  consequences  would  be  bad  for  him. 
Nothing  more  was  heard  from  him. 

A  year  later  he  offered  his  services  to  his  county  to 
fight  in  France.  The  last  I  heard  from  him  everything 
indicated  that  he  had  given  up  his  wild,  anarchistic 
views. 

But  there  is  always  danger  at  the  time  the  scholar's 
thinking  is  dominated  by  these  anarchistic  thoughts  and 
feelings,  that  some  unfortunate  happening  or  influence 
may  so  fasten  their  hold  on  him  as  to  place  him  forever 
after  with  the  anarchistically  inclined. 


As  many  specialists  tell  us  and  my  own  observations 
confirm  it,  there  is  a  great  increase  in  emotional  and  in- 
tellectual power  at  the  close  of  puberty,  a  power  that 
continues  to  grow  for  a  number  of  years  or  until  full 


CHARACTERISTICS  or  YOUTH  51 

maturity.  Still  even  here,  Nature  holds  true  to  her 
liking  for  variety  by  giving  us  youth  who  experience  no 
intellectual  awakening  at  this  period  of  life  nor  ever 
after.  Many  boys  and  girls  strong  in  the  memory  work 
and  the  elementary  thinking  of  the  elementary  schools 
or  lower  grades,  fail  to  develop  power  to  do  the  more 
scientific  work  or  thinking  called  for  in  the  high  school. 

Here  are  two  families  of  children  who  were  under 
my  supervision  in  the  elementary  school  and  in  the  high 
school.  Both  families  were  of  the  best  class  of  people  in 
the  community. 

The  children  from  one  home,  as  they  came  up  through 
the  elementary  grades,  one  by  one,  were  of  the  class  that 
the  ordinary  teacher  calls  perfect  in  their  work.  In  all 
the  mechanics  of  the  elementary  grades,  perfect,  and  in 
the  comparatively  simple  thinking  of  these  grades,  ex- 
cellent; but  when  these  same  scholars  entered  the  high 
school,  they  began  to  show  a  lack  of  intellectual  grip  on 
the  subjects.  Not  that  they  failed  to  apply  themselves, 
for  there  was  no  shortage  of  effort,  sustained  effort, 
even  to  the  close  of  the  senior  year  in  the  high  school. 
Each  year  in  the  high  school  their  work  was  weaker  and 
weaker,  their  senior  year  being  their  poorest,  not  much 
above  passing.  They  were  fine  young  people,  but  with 
no  intellectual  grasp  of  high  school  subjects. 

The  children  from  the  other  family  were  just  as 
industrious  school-workers,  but  at  the  start,  they  seemed 
actually  dull.  As  they  moved  along  through  the  lower 
grades  they  were  the  slowest  of  plodders,  painfully 
heavy,  and  slow  of  comprehension.  But  at  the  close  of 
each  year,  they  had  gathered  something.  The  teachers 
always  debated  whether  or  not  to  promote  them  but 
finally  said:  "Possibly  they  know  enough  to  do  the 
next  grade  as  well  as  they  have  done  this,  and  they 


52  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

might  be  discouraged  and  do  nothing  if  we  hold  them, 
so  we  will  pass  them  'by  grace,'  "  whatever  that  may 
mean.  But  after  entering  the  high  school,  we  were  all 
surprised  at  them.  Even  their  classmates  in  an  amazed 
way  gave  them  attention.  They  were  so  evidently  grow- 
ing in  intellectual  power  that  no  one  could  fail  to  see  it. 
Year  by  year  they  showed  increased  power ;  their  senior 
year  was  the  best  of  all. 

When  they  graduated,  they  had  the  high  school 
foundation  and  the  intellectual  power  to  do  good  uni- 
versity work. 

The  youth  from  the  one  family  failed  to  respond  to 
the  awakening  intellectual  impulse  of  puberty,  while 
the  youth  from  the  other  home  seemed  to  receive  en- 
dowment of  intellectual  power. 

"Up  to  the  change  of  puberty,  all  life  is  objective, 
now  it  becomes  largely  subjective  and  when  this  is  ex- 
treme, melancholia  sometimes  darkens  the  mind.  The 
boy  is  often  given  to  musing,  wishes  to  be  alone,  holds 
himself  aloof  from  friends  except  those  of  his  own 
choosing,  and  usually  of  his  own  age.  It  is  the  period 
of  life  when  inherited  tendencies  crop  out  and  the  un- 
expected often  comes  to  the  surface,  the  time  when  many 
wild  schemes  pass  and  re-pass  before  the  mind,  and  if 
not  fixed,  then  leave  it  to  return  no  more."  Says  one 
writer:  "The  greatest  danger  is  that  the  sexual  ele- 
ment of  body  and  soul  will  be  developed  disproportion- 
ately. Indeed  early  physical  maturity  is  in  this  re- 
spect in  itself  bad.  If  it  occurs  before  other  compensat- 
ing and  controlling  powers  are  unfolded,  it  is  then  more 
likely  to  be  uninstructed  and  to  suck  up  all  that  is  vile 
in  the  environment." 

'  *  The  advent  of  puberty  when  normally  reached,  has 
generally  something  of  the  mysterious  and  unknown  for 


CHARACTERISTICS  or  YOUTH  53 

the  individual;  and  the  newly-awakened  sensations  put 
to  test  the  balance  and  self-control  of  the  healthiest  and 
best-instructed  natures;  but  sexual  maturity  when 
hastened  by  reading  bad  literature,  a  perverted  imagi- 
nation, bad  companionship,  or  by  whatever  causes,  may 
have  disastrous  results  which  can  hardly  be  estimated." 
Specialists  tell  us  that  it  is  the  first  really  dangerous 
period  in  the  life  of  both  sexes  as  regards  insanity, 
though  not  so  dangerous  as  a  few  years  later. 


CHAPTER  IV 

RELIGIOUS  AWAKENING 

Says  one  writer:  "In  Christian  nations,  youth  is 
the  age  when  the  greatest  number  of  conversions  occur ; 
it  is  the  time  in  life  when  in  the  Roman  Catholic  and  the 
Lutheran  Churches,  the  children  are  confirmed;  and 
there  is  a  psychological  reason  for  these  things.  The 
mind  newly  awakened  to  a  broader  and  deeper  life 
reaches  out  after  that  which  it  hopes  will  satisfy  this 
craving,  restless  sense,  or  state  of  being.  It  is  brought 
face  to  face  with  the  problem  of  life  and  death  at  a  time 
when  it  looks  at  it  as  never  before." 

"At  no  other  time  in  life  is  there  the  same  possi- 
bility of  pressing  home  religious  truths.  The  very  un- 
settled state  of  the  youth's  mental  and  physical  natures 
makes  him  meditate  on  the  deep  problems  of  life,  God 
and  eternity.  It  is  the  period  when  questionings  come, 
come  unbidden,  and  active  Christian  work  is  recom- 
mended as  the  surest  help  to  tide  over  this  uncertain 
period.  But  the  questioning,  even  to  the  very  founda- 
tions of  his  belief  still  goes  on,  and  is,  if  rightly  directed, 
but  one  means  of  growth,  of  widening  and  strengthen- 
ing his  faith.  Up  to  this  time,  his  has  been  the  faith  of 
a  child  in  the  words  of  home  friends  whom  he  trusted ; 
now  it  is  a  faith  based  in  a  firm  conviction  that  the  evi- 
dences of  the  Divine  are  sufficient  to  justify  it.  Some- 
times the  questioning  leads  to  a  loss  of  all  faith,  to  a 
doubter,  a  skeptic. " 

One  writer  says  that  the  flood  of  emotional  life  often 
finds  its  outlet  in  singing  with  fervor  religious  songs  and 
in  putting  life  and  interest  into  the  religious  work  or- 
dinarily given  over  to  young  peoples '  societies  in  Protest- 

54 


RELIGIOUS  AWAKENING  55 

ant  churches.  How  true  this  statement  is  all  of  us 
know.  Nor  do  the  churches  overestimate  the  religious 
character-shaping  value  of  this  work.  Those  who  have 
most  carefully  studied  the  religious  training  of  youth 
tell  us  that  active  Christian  work  at  this  time  of  life  is 
the  surest  way  of  tiding  over  this  period  of  religious 
questioning ;  and  that  the  religious  impressions  made  at 
this  time  of  life  are  more  likely  to  be  lasting  than  those 
made  at  any  other  time.  Not  only  in  young  peoples'  so- 
cieties do  many  of  the  Protestant  churches  provide  for 
the  religious  training  at  this,  the  young  peoples'  period 
of  deepest  religious  awakening  and  thought,  but  in 
almost  all  the  services  of  the  churches  provision  is  made 
to  give  them  a  part  that  habits  of  right  religious  think- 
ing and  of  religious  work  may  be  formed.  All  of  us  who 
teach  know  how  when  the  revival  services  are  in  progress 
in  our  communities,  the  various  churches  call  on  their 
young  people  to  help  with  the  singing,  to  be  on  hand  to 
help  the  interest  with  their  presence.  Take  the  young 
people  out  of  these  meetings,  the  singing,  the  life,  the 
religious  feeling  in  the  community, — all  suffer.  It  is  the 
doing  right  religious  thinking  and  work  at  this  period 
of  youth  that  fixes  religious  habits  that  in  the  end  mean 
religious  character. 

I  have  an  elderly  friend,  some  eighty  years  of  age, 
cultured  and  keen  of  intellect,  a  man  who  by  honorable 
means  has  amassed  wealth,  a  man  full  of  good  qualities, 
but  not  a  happy  man.  His  years  are  growing  few  and 
he  knows  it.  Not  long  ago,  he  said  to  me  that  nothing 
religious  appealed  to  him ;  that  while  he  tried  to  attend 
some  church  service  regularly  and  for  years  had  made 
it  a  part  of  his  life  to  attend  each  church  in  the  com- 
munity, a  part  of  the  time,  still  nothing  in  any  of  the 
services  appealed  to  him  and  that  he  had  no  faith  in  any 


56  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

religion.  And  after  standing  thoughtful  for  a  few 
minutes,  with  his  eyes  cast  down,  he  looked  up,  and  full 
of  feeling  said:  "Somewhere  in  my  early  life,  I  was 
turned  wrong  in  my  religious  thinking,  and  I  have 
never  been  able  to  get  turned  about. "  I  wonder  if  away 
back  when  life  was  young  and  the  questions  came  at  the 
unfolding  of  youth,  if  someone,  or  some  influence,  did 
not  give  a  wrong  trend  to  his  thinking  that  has  made  him 
unhappy  to  the  end  ? 

In  the  Catholic  church,  great  care  is  given  to  the  re- 
ligious education  and  training  of  the  youth.  As  one 
writer  whom  I  have  quoted  says,  it  is  the  time  in  the 
Catholic  churches  when  the  children  are  confirmed. 
This  church  recognizes  the  vital  importance  of  proper 
care  of  the  religious  interests  of  her  young  people  at 
this  character-forming  time  of  life,  and  makes  much 
of  it. 

The  following  bit  of  personal  experience,  given  me  by 
a  former  boy  among  my  school  friends  who  is  now  a  man, 
is  in  perfect  keeping  with  the  statements  just  made :  As 
a  boy,  he  grew  up  in  a  Christian  home,  with  Christian 
parents,  and  at  the  age  of  thirteen,  united  with  the 
church  of  his  parents.  He  was  happy  and  contented  in 
his  Christian  life  until  about  his  sixteenth  year  when 
one  night  at  a  revival  service,  the  preacher  spoke  at 
length  of  infidels  and  skeptics,  those  who  do  not  believe 
the  Word  of  God,  who  call  the  Bible  a  book  of  cunningly- 
devised  fables.  All  at  once,  the  boy  was  deeply  dis- 
turbed by  questions  as  to  the  possibility  of  the  infidels' 
being  right.  It  frightened  him;  he  had  taken  his  par- 
ents '  word  for  it  that  the  Bible  is  God 's  Word ;  could  it 
be  that  they  were  mistaken;  could  it  be  that  they  had 
been  deceived  ?  How  could  he  know  for  a  certainty  that 
the  Bible  is  God's  Word  to  man?  Who  could  tell  him, 


RELIGIOUS  AWAKENING  57 

how  could  he  discover  the  truth?  These  questions  came 
to  him  with  great  force — he  was  distressed,  and  yet  he 
felt  afraid  to  say  anything  to  anyone  or  to  ask  questions. 
He  attended  church  regularly,  and  listened  eagerly  to 
all  the  preacher  said;  but  there  was  all  the  time  the 
question,  "Is  what  he  says  true?"  presenting  itself  to 
him  and  giving  him  no  peace  of  mind.  He  read  every 
religious  book  he  could  get  hold  of  to  see  if  it  presented 
convincing  arguments;  but  for  the  greater  part  of  a 
year,  he  was  religiously  in  a  disturbed  state  of  mind. 
Finally,  one  evening  at  a  religious  meeting,  an  elderly 
man,  in  whose  knowledge  and  wisdom  the  boy  had 
great  confidence,  in  speaking  said  that  he  had  that  day 
been  talking  with  a  young  woman  who  was  passing 
through  a  season  of  questioning  and  doubt,  and  who  was, 
as  a  result,  in  a  very  unhappy  frame  of  mind;  that  he 
had  told  her,  in  trying  to  help  her,  that  almost  all  young 
people  who  become  strong  in  their  religious  convictions, 
pass  through  somewhat  similar  experiences;  that  it  is  a 
process  of  growth  in  religious  life ;  and  that  the  earnest 
inquiry  for  a  wider  knowledge  of  the  evidences  that  the 
Bible  is  God's  revealed  Word,  would  bring  a  broader 
faith  and  would  lead  to  a  stronger  Christian  character ; 
that  he,  in  his  life-time,  had  known  many  young  people 
to  pass  through  the  same  period  of  doubting  and  ques- 
tioning ;  and  that  he  thought  all  who  became  established 
in  a  religious  faith,  other  than  the  simple  faith  of  child- 
hood, based  wholly  on  the  words  of  loving  friends,  had 
had,  to  some  extent,  a  period  of  honest  questioning  and 
doubt.  The  boy  had  oi'ten  heard  of  infidels  and  skeptics, 
but  never  until  his  sixteenth  year  did  his  hearing  that 
men  did  not  believe  the  Bible  suggest  to  him  to  doubt 
the  Bible.  After  he  heard  this  old  man's  talk,  the  boy's 
load  dropped  from  off  him.  If  others  had  so  questioned 


58  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

the  grounds  of  their  religious  belief  and  had  become 
stronger  thereby;  if  to  others,  probably  to  most  all 
others,  this  questioning  had  come  as  a  means  of  growth 
to  cause  them  to  study  and  know  why  they  believed,  so 
it  would  be  to  him.  He  would  hold  on  to  his  faith  and 
learn  more  and  more  of  the  grounds  for  it.  He  read  ex- 
tensively of  religious  writings  for  a  boy  of  his  age,  and 
learned  many  of  the  reasons  for  belief  in  the  Bible  as 
God's  Word.  He  is  today  strong  in  his  Christian  faith 
and  religious  thought,  and  looks  back  to  his  awakening 
at  sixteen  as  the  time  when  he  first  formed  a  taste  for 
this  line  of  investigation.  The  old  gentleman  who  so 
wisely  gave  trend  to  the  boy's  thinking  was  not  a  psy- 
chologist, but  he  had  been  a  close  observer  and  student 
of  the  growth  of  religious  faith  in  young  people.  His 
statements  are  in  perfect  accord  with;  the  words  of 
special  students  of  this  subject  today. 

One  other  illustration:  A  number  of  years  ago  we 
had  in  our  high  school  where  I  was  then  superintendent, 
a  handsome  lad  of  sixteen  years,  an  excellent  student, 
and  so  honest  and  upright  in  everything  that  he  held 
the  perfect  confidence  of  all  of  his  teachers.  One  day, 
very  much  to  the  surprise  of  his  teacher  in  Biology,  he 
asked  if  it  would  be  possible  for  him  to  drop  the  subject 
of  Zoology,  saying  that  he  thought  it  would  be  necessary 
for  him  to  give  up  the  study.  The  teacher  asked  him 
not  to  think  of  giving  it  up  as  he  was  doing  good  work 
and  making  a  fine  standing  in  the  subject ;  but  referred 
him  to  the  high  school  principal  for  a  decision.  Before 
the  principal  had  been  called  upon  to  consider  the  ad- 
visability of  the  boy's  dropping  Zoology,  I  happened  to 
meet  the  father  of  the  boy  on  the  street,  a  very  in- 
telligent man  and  a  most  devoted  and  interested  father. 
He  explained,  as  the  boy  could  not,  why  the  boy  wished 


RELIGIOUS  AWAKENING  59 

to  drop  his  Zoology.  The  father  said  that  the  boy  was 
passing  through  a  very  trying  religious  experience  and 
was  deeply  disturbed;  that  in  his  school  work,  he  had 
come  to  the  theory  of  evolution  for  the  first  time,  and 
that  he  was  greatly  worried  as  he  was  unable  to  reconcile 
it  with  his  way  of  interpreting  the  Bible;  and  he  (the 
boy)  was  sure  if  he  continued  to  study  Zoology  as  pre- 
sented by  the  book  from  the  evolution  point  of  view, 
he  would  lose  "his  religion";  that  the  boy  had  reached 
the  point  where  it  disturbed  him  to  the  extent  that  he 
could  not  sleep ;  that  his  parents  were  greatly  concerned 
for  the  boy's  welfare. 

In  order  that  I  might  first  see  how  serious  a  matter 
it  was  to  the  boy,  the  father  gave  me  a  little  history  of 
the  boy's  religious  life  for  the  several  months  just  pre- 
ceding our  interview — a  history  known  only  to  the  boy, 
his  mother  in  whom  he  confided,  and  the  father.  The 
boy  was  a  member  of  the  church  of  his  parents  in  which 
he  had  been  reared;  but  a  few  months  before  he  had 
become  concerned  about  the  doctrines  presented  by  his 
church  and  had  become  convinced,  as  he  thought,  that 
there  might  be  some  other  church,  whose  doctrines 
would  better  meet  his  views.  He  had  read  up  the  church 
doctrines  of  every  church  in  the  community,  and  from 
time  to  time  thought  that  this  church  or  that  church  was 
the  one  where  he  would  be  most  in  accord.  His  parents 
had  not  interfered  but  had  kept  close  in  their  sympathy 
with  him.  They  were  very  anxious  that  he  pass  through 
this  phase  of  religious  experience  without  a  wrong  bias 
from  any  source. 

The  parents  had  no  fault  to  find  with  the  teacher  in 
the  high  school  or  his  teachings,  but  felt  that  it  was  un- 
wise for  the  boy,  in  his  state  of  mind,  to  continue  a  sub- 
ject that  was  causing  him  so  much  unrest. 


60  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

As  soon  as  the  father  had  explained  the  boy's  con- 
dition, I  gladly  granted  the  boy  the  privilege  of  drop- 
ping out  of  the  class.  I  granted  him  the  privilege  of 
dropping  Zoology  and  taking  up  another  subject  in  its 
place,  believing  it  unwise,  in  fact,  poor  pedagogy,  to  at- 
tempt to  force  the  subject  on  the  boy  in  his  religiously 
unsettled  state  of  mind,  knowing  full  well  that  a  little 
later,  when  he  had  come  to  a  more  settled  feeling  in 
regard  to  his  religious  life,  to  a  more  mature  judgment 
concerning  things  religious,  he  would,  in  all  probability, 
be  able  to  study  the  subject  from  the  evolutionist 's  point 
of  view  and  see  in  it  only  God's  plan  of  creation.  As 
the  father  said,  the  boy  could  not  give  his  teacher  a 
reason  for  not  continuing  the  study,  for  he  did  not  wish 
his  teacher  to  know  how  he  was  feeling.  I  immediately 
spoke  to  the  principal  and  as  soon  as  he  heard,  he  under- 
stood, and  permitted  the  boy  to  take  another  subject  in 
place  of  Zoology. 

The  boy  finally  became  settled  in  his  religious  con- 
victions and  is  today  one  of  the  finest  of  men,  a  strong 
Christian  character. 

I  wish  to  add  one  word  to  what  I  have  said  of  the 
boy  that  no  one  may  think  the  teacher  at  fault.  The 
teacher  was  a  fine  teacher  and  a  devout  Christian  and 
presented  evolution  as  a  possible  plan  of  creation;  as 
God's  way  of  bringing  these  things  into  existence. 


CHAPTER  V 

MILD  TYPES,  DEMONSTRATIVE  TYPES, 
DISCUSSED— 

As  I  said  in  the  case  of  Harry  G given  in 

Chapter  II,  we  have  the  milder  types  as  well  as  the  more 
demonstrative  ones,  the  types  that  seem  to  glide  un- 
consciously from  childhood  into  youth  and  from  youth 
into  early  manhood  or  womanhood.  In  them,  emotional 
life  swells  like  a  gently-rising  stream  that  keeps  well 
within  its  banks  as  it  rises  and  rises  until  it  is  channel- 
wide,  and  channel-deep,  carrying  its  vast  volumei  of 
water,  with  safety  to  its  bordering  country,  on  to  its 
destination. 

In  the  extremely  impulsive,  demonstrative  boys  and 
girls,  the  new  emotional  life  often  comes  in  successive 
flood- waves  of  impulses  that  know  no  bounds.  Just  as 
in  the  rising  water  of  some  streams,  one  torrential  flood- 
wave  after  another  rolls  down,  flooding  the  banks,  break- 
ing across  fields,  and  if  not  carefully  guarded,  causing 
ruin  and  destruction  everywhere. 

But  shall  we  call  the  quiet  boy  more  normal  in  his 
development  than  the  boy  of  a  more  impulsive,  dem- 
onstrative type  ?  *  *  The  boy  who  is  easily  swayed  by  his 
emotions  or  by  every  passing  wave  of  influence?"  He 
has  one  wild  scheme  today  and  a  dozen  new  ones  to- 
morrow. He  is  for  a  time  unstable  in  all  he  does.  With 
many  boys  of  this  type,  their  friends  are  greatly  con- 
cerned ;  and  well  they  may  be,  for  sometimes  wrong  in- 
fluences brought  to  bear  on  a  boy  at  this  time  turn  the 
current  of  his  life  to  an  evil  end;  while  right  ideals 
strongly  implanted  are  a  mighty  force  in  the  accomplish- 
ment of  a  noble  life. 

61 


62  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

A  mother  of  two  of  our  schoolboys,  a  year 's  difference 
in  their  ages,  once  said  to  me  that  she  feared  greatly  for 
her  impulsive,  emotional,  easily-influenced  boy,  while 
for  her  steady  boy,  moving  with  the  regularity  of  clock- 
work, she  had  no  fears.  Personally,  for  this  emotional, 
impulsive  boy,  I  had  but  little  concern,  for  while  for 
two  years  he  had  been  passing  through  the  most  critical 
period  of  his  life,  all  the  time,  he  had  kept  before  him- 
self certain  high  ideals  to  which  we  could  appeal,  ideals 
that  held  him  with  a  grip.  While  from  time  to  time  he 
had  been  swayed  a  little  by  some  passing  craze,  his 
ideals  soon  lined  him  up  again. 

Most  of  us,  especially  teachers,  are  inclined  to  con- 
sider the  milder,  more  quiet  types  the  more  normal ;  but 
I  doubt  it.  Sometimes  the  great  flood  of  emotional  life 
finds  its  outlet  in  doing  wild,  strikingly  daring  things 
to  attract  attention,  and  the  boys  often  for  a  time  are 
unreliable  in  every  relation;  but  where  there  has  been 
good  early  training  and  good  boyhood  habits  have  been 
established,  if  no  strong,  shaping  influence  moves  them 
too  far  from  the  right,  as  the  later,  not  the  latest,  years 
of  adolescence  come,  for  this  happens  usually  during 
high  school  life,  the  lines  of  good  conduct  of  the  earlier 
years  begin  again  to  take  the  lead,  the  objectionable 
characteristics  fade  out,  and  a  good  life  follows. 

Once  in  a  while  it  happens  that  some  quiet  boy,  a 
boy  of  the  milder  type,  is  seized  by  a  sudden  impulse  to 
do  something  striking  that  he  may  be  the  recipient  of  a 
little  hero-worship;  that  he  may  stand  in  the  "lime 
light." 

One  day  a  number  of  years  ago  the  high  school  prin- 
cipal and  I  were  accidentally  given  word  that  some  boy 
or  boys  would  enter  the  high  school  that  night  to  do 


TYPES  DISCUSSED  63 

some  ' '  lime  light  work. ' '    We  accordingly  placed  a  night 
watchman  in  the  building. 

A  word  about  the  building  will  help  to  understand 
what  follows.  After  entering  the  front  door  at  the 
high  school  there  were  twelve  or  fourteen  steps  up  to  the 
first  floor.  On  reaching  the  top  of  the  stairs,  the  rail- 
ing turns  directly  to  the  left,  extending  twelve  feet,  to 
the  principal's  office  door. 

The  night  watchman  seated  himself  on  a  chair  at  the 
head  of  the  stairs  just  at  the  turn  to  the  left  toward  the 
principal's  office  door.  The  night  was  extremely  dark, 
without,  and  Egyptian  darkness  reigned  within.  As  he 
looked  at  the  glass  in  the  door,  it  being  more  densely 
dark  within  than  without,  he  could  see  anyone  coming  in 
at  the  door  while  no  one  coming  in  looking  toward  the 
dead  darkness  of  the  building  could  see  him. 

It  was  about  ten  o'clock  p.  m.,  everything  deathly 
still,  when  two  boys  came  to  the  front  door,  unlocked  it, 
and  opened  it.  One  boy  stood  outside  the  door,  the  other 
very  stealthily  crept  up  the  stairs  and  turning  toward 
the  principal's  door,  feeling  his  way,  placed  his  hands 
on  the  shoulders  of  the  night  watchman.  With  never  a 
word  on  his  part,  silently,  suddenly,  the  night  watch- 
man rose  to  his  feet.  The  boy  jumped  straight  up  into 
the  air,  and  as  his  feet  came  down  to  the  floor,  he  gave 
forth  a  succession  of  unearthly,  frightened  yells,  and 
with  one  leap,  cleared  the  stairs,  bolted  out  the  front 
door,  down  the  street,  yelling  at  the  top  of  his  voice.  At 
the  first  yell  from  the  boy  inside,  the  boy  outside  gave  a 
piercing  yell  of  horror,  and  started  down\  street  at 
breakneck  speed. 

The  night  watchman  said  that  when  the  boy  jumped 
into  the  air  and  came  down  giving  forth  such  unearthly 


64  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

yells,  he  himself  was  so  startled  that  he  could  feel  his 
hair  stand  straight  out  from  his  head. 

The  boy,  in  his  leap  down  the  stairs,  lost  his  hat, 
which  was  picked  up  the  next  morning.  By  means  of  the 
hat  we  identified  the  boy,  a  boy  who  had  always  been 
of  the  milder  type.  The  principal  and  I  decided  that 
his  punishment  had  been  sufficient,  almost  more  than 
he  was  able  to  stand.  We  kept  his  hat  at  the  office  for 
many  weeks,  but  he  never  called  for  it.  And  we  kept 
his  secret,  too,  not  even  mentioning  it. 

James  Henry  S —  -  stood  head  and  shoulders  in 
scholarship  above  all  others  of  his  class  in  the  seventh 
and  the  eighth  grades,  and  during  these  two  years  in 
his  deportment,  he  was  without  fault.  His  teachers  and 
his  classmates  had  for  him  the  highest  respect,  and  his 
principal  would  often  remark  that  James  Henry  would 
be  a  star  scholar  in  the  high  school  and  a  leader  in 
everything  that  stood  for  what  was  best  in  the  school. 

He  entered  the  high  school  at  thirteen  and  one-half 
years  of  age,  and  while  healthy  and  strong,  physically, 
still  the  changes  of  puberty  were  only  beginning  to 
manifest  themselves,  and  he  was  taking  on  a  timidity  or 
self-consciousness  that  made  him  wholly  unlike  the  boy 
he  had  been  in  the  eighth  grade.  A  leader  in  every 
school  affair  in  the  eighth  grade,  in  the  high  school  he 
was  too  self-conscious  to  wish  to  be  noticed.  However, 
the  first  two  years,  he  held  his  scholarship  record  high, 
but  the  third  year  his  scholarship  fell  very  low,  in  some 
studies  he  even  failed  to  pass.  Teachers  and  home 
friends  alike  were  greatly  concerned,  fearing  he  might 
lose  out  entirely,  so  they  left  nothing  undone  that  could 
possibly  be  done  to  keep  him  from  failing.  With  them, 
it  was  a  question  of  helping  him  to  hold  on  to  his  school 
work  until  he  should  come  to  himself  again  when  they 


TYPES  DISCUSSED  65 

felt  he  would  be  as  deeply  interested  as  he  had  ever 
been. 

One  day,  when  his  home  folks  were  talking  with  him, 
they  asked  him  why  he  would  not  at  least  try  to  make  a 
good  standing  in  his  studies. 

He  replied:  "I  don't  intend  to  make  any  more 
high  grades,  and  I'll  tell  you  why.  I  made  almost  per- 
fect grades  and  was  such  a  model  in  deportment  for  so 
long  a  time  that  everybody  thinks  I  'm  a  sissy.  I  'm  none 
of  your  sissy  boys,  and  you  '11  know  it,  too. ' ' 

His  senior  year  was  just  as  unsatisfactory  as  his 
junior  year  had  been,  and  it  was  only  by  a  small  margin 
that  he  passed  for  graduation. 

After  graduating  from  high  school,  he  entered  col- 
lege, and  here  came  to  himself  again,  and  was  counted 
a  brilliant  student  in  all  his  college  work,  a  man  of  fine 
mind. 

Possibly  I  should  add  that  in  conduct  during  his 
high  school  junior  and  senior  years,  he  never  failed  to 
be  an  agreeable  gentleman,  just  as  agreeable  when 
leaving  his  work  undone,  as  though  he  were  doing  his 
teacher  a  great  favor. 


CHAPTER  VI 

ROSEATE   DREAMS,    DREAMS   DAUBED   WITH 
BLUE— THE  DREAMERS 

"We  are  told  that  many  of  these  characteristics  of 
youth,  intellectual  and  emotional,  are  of  fleeting  char- 
acter if  not  fixed  by  some  unfortunate  influence;  that 
this  is  the  time  in  life  when  inherited  tendencies  crop 
out  and  for  a  time  seem  to  control  the  whole  life;  that 
many  of  these  tendencies  too  are  of  fleeting  character 
if  not  fixed  by  strong  influences  at  this  time. 

This  is  the  time  when  the  boy  dreams  dreams  and  has 
visions.  Visions  of  leadership,  of  great  success  in  the 
business-world,  of  wonderful  things  he  can  so  easily 
accomplish;  visions  that  make  him  exuberantly  happy, 
or  as  sometimes  happens,  visions  of  possible  failure  that 
depress  to  a  state  of  despondency  where  he  needs  the 
touch  of  an  assuring  friend. 

This  is  the  time  when  dreams  of  unbounded  business 
success  cause  many  a  boy  to  drop  out  of  school.  I'm 
not  sure  which  is  the  worse  for  the  boy,  the  vision  of  a 
business  life  painted  in  too  roseate  hues,  or  the  one  that 
is  more  or  less  daubed  over  with  splotches  of  blue. 

David  R was  from  a  home  of  culture  and  re- 
finement, but  not  of  wealth.  He  was  a  bright  and  un- 
usually attractive  boy,  and  a  fair  student.  At  the 
close  of  his  second  year  in  the  high  school,  he  made 
known  his  plans  to  leave  high  school  and  take  a  place  as 
an  office  boy  with  one  of  our  leading  business  firms.  "We 
teachers  were  all  surprised.  "We  had  never  thought  of 
his  not  completing  a  high  school  course. 

He  came  into  my  office  to  tell  me  of  his  plans,  and 
when  he  talked  with  me,  I  saw  that  he  had  been  dream- 

66 


DREAMS  AND  THE  DREAMERS  67 

ing  dreams  and  having  visions  and  that  his  visions 
were  all  lighted  up  with  roseate  hues.  One  of  his 
friends  in  the  firm  had  told  him  that  the  last  two  years 
of  the  high  school  meant  nothing  to  him,  that  the  thing 
for  him  to  do  was  to  get  into  business. 

I  put  forth  the  arguments  that  stand  clear-cut  in 
favor  of  a  well-rounded,  general  education  for  business 
men;  but  he  had  seen  a  vision  and  it  beckoned  him  on. 
I  finally  said:  " David,  some  day  your  advancement  in 
life  may  be  blocked  by  your  lack  of  the  two  years  of 
high  school  education  you  are  casting  aside."  David 
entered  business  life. 

After  he  had  been  out  of  school  four  years,  we  had 
another  business  talk.  Almost  the  first  thing  he  said 
was:  "Mr.  Stableton,  your  fears  were  well  founded. 
An  offer  of  a  position  has  come  to  me  that  I  would  like 
very  much  to  accept,  but  I  cannot.  The  one  who  accepts 
this  position  must  hold  a  high  school  certificate  of  grad- 
uation. I  made  a  great  mistake. 

*•**.••••• 

George  M made  an  ordinary  record  in  his 

elementary  school  work,  and  entered  the  high  school  at 
about  14  years  of  age.  During  the  first  two  years  he 
developed  rapidly,  both  physically  and  mentally.  In 
shorthand,  typing,  and  bookkeeping,  he  made  excellent 
progress.  The  first  half  of  his  third  year,  he  began  to 
make  excuses  for  staying  out  of  school.  Day  after  day 
he  was  absent  on  some  trivial  excuse  until  finally  his 
teacher  in  typing  had  a  heart-to-heart  talk  with  him 
about  himself  and  his  work.  He  was  the  ablest  student 
in  typing  and  shorthand  in  the  high  school  at  this  time. 

Miss  N was  confident  he  would  be  able  to  fill  one 

of  the  best  openings  in  the  city  if  we  could  only  hold 
him  to  complete  his  high  school  course.  But  his  third 


68  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

year  she  was  deeply  concerned  about  him.  After  her 
heart-to-heart  tails  with  him,  she  came  to  me  to  report 
what  she  had  learned,  and  to  counsel  with  me  as  to  how 
we  could  help  him. 

She  said  to  me :  ' '  Mr.  Stableton,  I  can  tell  you  what 

ails  George  N ,  he's  having  the  blues.  My,  but 

he's  downhearted!  Why,  he  says  no  one  cares  for  him, 
so  he  doesn't  care  whether  he  goes  on  with  his  school 
work  or  not ;  that  he  doesn  't  believe  the  future  has  much 
for  him  anyway."  "Now,  Mr.  Stableton,"  she  said, 
we've  got  to  do  something  for  him,  we  must.  It  won't 
do  to  lose  him.  Can't  you  suggest  something?  You  will 
help.  I  know  you  will." 

"Yes,  I  will  "kelp,"  I  replied,  "and  we'll  save  the 
boy  or  it  will  not  be  our  fault  if  he  is  lost. ' ' 

It  was  always  a  pleasure  to  see  this  teacher  in  her 
personal  work  holding  students  up  to  the  best  that  was 
in  them.  She  was  uncompromising  and  almost  severe 
in  demanding  the  best  in  class  work,  but  back  of  this 
wras  a  personal  devotion  to  the  best  interest  of  each  one, 
a  devotion  that  knew  no  limit  to  the  sacrifices  she  would 
make  that  she  might  be  helpful.  The  students  knew 
this,  and  gave  her  the  heartfelt  respect  always  accorded 
a  really  great  teacher. 

After  talking  the  matter  over,  we  decided  to  ask  a 
number  of  the  teachers  especially  given  to  personal 
work,  to  take  notice  of  George;  to  make  a  point  of  ac- 
cidentally engaging  him  in  conversation  whenever  op- 
portunity offered,  or  rather  when  they  could  make  op- 
portunity. I  promised  to  do  my  part. 

The  fact  was,  that  George  had  always  been  a  little 
retiring  in  his  manner,  always  prepared  in  his  work, 
and  so  consistent  in  his  deportment  that  I  really  think 
all  of  us  had  unconsciously  come  to  consider  him  as  one 


DREAMS  AND  THE  DREAMERS  69 

always  right  and  so  had  failed  to  realize  that  he  needed 
attention. 

Our  plan  succeeded.  A  number  of  the  teachers  and 
students  helped  us  and  we  took  away  the  very  root  of 
his  blues.  Of  course,  we  helped,  but  his  own  develop- 
ment, after  a  time,  did  much  to  bring  him  to  a  less  de- 
pressed state  of  mind,  to  a  more  hopeful  look-a-head. 

George  graduated  from  the  high  school  and  has 
since  made  an  unusual  success  as  a  young  business  man. 

But  I  never  think  of  him  without  thinking  of  that 
talented  and  ever- watchful  teacher  who  helped  to  keep 
up  the  courage  not  only  of  George,  but  of  other  scholars, 
when  the  seasons  of  depression  came. 

********* 

Herman  L graduated  from  the  eighth  grade, 

entered  the  high  school,  and  at  the  close  of  his  second 
year  in  high  school,  dropped  out  of  school  as  he  said, 
"to  earn  money."  All  was  done  that  could  be  done  to 
hold  him  in  school.  His  home  people,  his  teachers,  his 
superintendent,  all  tried  in  every  way  possible  to  pre- 
vail on  him  to  continue  in  school,  but  he  would  go  to 
work. 

Herman  was  from  a  home  of  high  standing;  his 
home  training  was  of  the  best.  He  was  possessed  of 
good  mental  ability,  and  was  a  handsome  lad,  fifteen 
years  of  age  when  he  left  us. 

At  first,  he  worked  at  odd  jobs,  but  finally  drifted 
into  the  draughting-room  of  a  prominent  architect. 
Here  he  became,  for  a  time,  at  least,  a  fixture.  He  "fell 
in  love"  with  draughting  work.  This  led  him  to  do 
some  good  thinking  about  himself  and  for  himself. 

One  day  three  years  after  his  leaving  school,  he  asked 
me  over  the  'phone  if  he  might  call  at  my  home  that 


70  YOUE  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

evening  for  a  little  talk  with  me.    The  favor  was  granted. 

When  he  called  on  me  that  evening,  he  unbosomed 
himself  to  me,  telling  me  all  his  plans.  First  of  all,  he 
told  me  how  greatly  he  enjoyed  the  draughting  work  and 
everything  connected  with  the  work  of  an  architect; 
that  he  had  decided  to  be  an  architect,  and  that  to  be  the 
kind  of  an  architect  he  hoped  to  be,  he  must  graduate 
from  the  course  in  architecture  at  our  State  University ; 
that  for  a  year  he  had  been  carrying  on  a  correspondence 
course  in  architecture  by  giving  his  evenings  to  the 
work ;  but  that  the  time  had  come  when  he  must  plan  to 
make  up  his  shortage  in  high  school  work  to  be  able  to 
enter  the  University ;  that  my  interest  in  him  made  him 
feel  he  could  come  to  me  to  direct  him;  that  he  must 
make  up  the  work  and  that  nothing  should  prevent  his 
doing  it. 

After  listening  with  deep  interest  to  his  recital  con- 
cerning himself  I  said:  ''That's  splendid,  Herman,  of 
course  I  '11  help  you.  I  know  how  you  can  do  it. ' ' 

Herman  replied,  "It's  not  half  so  splendid  as  it 
would  have  been  if  I  had  listened  to  you  three  years  ago 
and  had  gone  on  with  my  high  school  work. ' ' 

However,  we  lost  no  time  in  lamenting  over  what 
might  have  been.  Everything  was  right  now  and  we 
must  make  the  most  of  the  time  by  planning  his  work  so 
he  could  do  it.  So  I  asked  him  if  he  would  object  to  re- 
citing in  high  school  classes  with  the  younger  scholars, 
saying  that  he  could  come  into  school  for  the  recitation 
hour  only,  and  return  to  his  office  work  at  the  close,  if 
he  could  be  away  from  his  office  long  enough  each  day 
to  do  this.  But  he  replied  that  all  his  study  and  recita- 
tion work  must  be  done  after  working  hours,  as  he  was 
on  a  good  salary  now,  and  must  put  in  full  time,  as  the 
office  was  pushed  with  work. 


DREAMS  AND  THE  DREAMERS  71 

I  then  arranged  for  him  to  see  one  of  our  high  school 
teachers  of  history,  and  one  of  mathematics,  to  take 
private  lessons  in  General  History  with  the  teacher  of 
history,  and  Algebra  with  the  teacher  of  mathematics. 
He  was  to  pay  them  the  regular  prices  for  such  work. 
A  word  of  explanation  is  in  place  here.  Ordinarily, 
high  school  teachers  were  not  supposed  to  give  private 
lessons  except  by  arrangement  with  the  high  school 
principal  or  superintendent.  When  lessons  were  so 
arranged  and  the  scholar  had  been  a  high  school  scholar, 
the  teacher's  grade  for  the  work  was  accepted  on  the 
high  school  credit  or  grade  record. 

For  two  years,  he  carried  on  his  work  under  the  in- 
struction of  high  school  teachers  whom  the  high  school 
principal  or  the  superintendent  selected,  and  did  good 
work.  The  third  year,  he  gave  up  his  office  work  to  de- 
vote himself  wholly  to  his  lessons.  On  my  advice,  he  en- 
tered the  Illinois  Wesleyan  University,  taking  work  that 
would  be  accredited  in  his  Freshman  year  at  the  Illinois 
State  University,  while  under  a  private  teacher  he 
cleared  up  his  last  study  for  entrance  at  the  University 
of  Illinois.  He  finally  graduated  from  the  course  in 
architecture  at  the  U.  of  I.  and  is  today  a  young  man  of 
ability  in  his  chosen  line  of  work. 

I'm  not  able  to  say  whether  or  not  he  lost  by  drop- 
ping out  of  school  when  he  did.  Possibly  he  fell  into 
better  hands  for  him  than  we  teachers  proved  to  be  at 
that  time  in  his  life.  The  difficult  thing  for  him  and  for 
many  who  drop  out  of  school  before  appreciating  what 
an  education  means,  is  how  to  get  back  into  school  work 
again  when  the  hour  of  appreciation  comes. 

*##**#### 

Allison  G left  school  at  the  close  of  the  seventh 

grade  and  was  given  work  in  one  of  the  dry  goods  stores 


72  YOUE  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

of  the  city.  After  he  had  been  in  the  employ  of  this 
firm  for  two  years,  I  received  a  letter  from  the  head  of 
the  firm  stating  that  he  had  a  boy  working  in  the  store 
who  should  have  more  education,  and  asking  me  if  I 
could  do  anything  for  him.  I  called  at  the  store  the 
following  morning  to  offer  any  help  that  was  in  my 
power.  I  asked  the  proprietor  if  it  would  be  possible 
for  the  boy  to  come  to  the  high  school  for  recitation 
hours  only,  the  remainder  of  his  time  to  be  given  to 
work  in  the  store,  his  lessons  to  be  prepared  of  evenings  ? 

He  replied  that  he  would  be  glad  to  give  him  the 
recitation  hours  on  the  plan  suggested,  but  said :  ' '  You 
understand  that  the  boy  has  not  had  the  work  of  the 
eighth  grade." 

"Yes,  I  understand  that,"  I  replied,  "but  I'm 
thinking  the  two  years  of  excellent  training  he  has  had 
with  you,  and  the  valuable  service  he  has  rendered  you, 
indicate  mental  power  to  do  high  school  work  and,  too, 
there  will  be  inspiration  to  him  in  high  school  associa- 
tion that  would  not  be  found  for  him  in  eighth  grade 
work." 

Allison  followed  this  plan  two  years,  and  made  a 
good  record  in  his  work.  He  then  accepted  a  position  in 
Washington,  D.  C.  After  being  there  for  a  short  time, 
he  took  work  in  Washington  University,  finally  gradu- 
ating from  that  institution.  Later  on,  he  received  his 
doctor's  degree  from  the  University  of  Illinois,  and  is 
today  a  professor  of  Biology  in  one  of  our  greatest 
municipal  universities. 


CHAPTER  VII 
ARE  THEY  WORTH  OUR  INTEREST? 

My  second  year  of  teaching  was  as  principal  of  the 
schools  of  Central  City,  Nebraska.  One  member  of  the 
Board  of  Education  there,  Dr.  0.  L.  Barton,  enlarged 
my  horizon  of  the  duty  of  a  schoolman.  Many  an  eve- 
ning after  school  hours,  and  of  Saturdays,  I  rode  with 
him  behind  his  broncho  team,  a  grey  and  a  black,  as  he 
made  his  calls  at  the  homes  in  the  surrounding  rural 
district.  As  we  would  approach  the  house  where  we 
were  to  call  for  him  to  minister  to  the  sick,  he  would 
say:  "At  this  home  there  is  a  young  man  who  should 
be  in  our  school  this  year  or  next,"  as  the  case  might 
be ;  at  another  home,  ' '  a  young  woman, ' '  and  sometimes 
more  than  one  young  person.  Then  when  we  entered 
the  home,  he  introduced  me  as  the  principal  of  "our" 
school,  and  explained  what  a  wonderful  opportunity 
the  school,  the  high  school,  was  offering  to  the  young 
men  and  women  of  all  that  rural  district,  as  well  as  to 
those  of  the  town.  He  was  so  enthusiastic  about  the 
school,  and  so  truly  interested,  that  these  people  in  the 
rural  district  should  understand  that  the  school  meant 
great  opportunities  for  their  boys  and  girls,  that  he 
never  failed  to  awaken  an  interest.  While  he  healed  the 
sick,  he  inspired  parents  with  a  burning  desire  to  ed- 
ucate their  boys  and  girls  in  the  high  school  that  was  in 
process  of  being  organized  and  developed. 

Then  as  we  rode  along,  the  hoof-beat  of  the  never- 
tiring  ponies  keeping  time,  he  talked  of  what  we  could 
do  in  our  school  for  these  our  young  people.  He  had  no 
selfish  end  in  view.  He  was  planning  for  the  people, 
his  people,  because  he  was  wiser  in  educational  things 

73 


74  YOUE  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

than  they;  planning  how  he  could  make  our  school  one 
of  the  very  best  of  its  kind,  and  how  we  could  draw  all 
the  young  people  into  its  classes. 

I  had  thought  schools,  high  schools,  were  for  those 
who  wished  to  take  advantage  of  them,  and  that  our 
duty  extended  only  to  those  of  the  town  and  that  those 
who  lived  beyond  the  limits  of  the  town  were  of  no  con- 
cern to  us.  Of  course,  if  any  of  them  happened  to  come 
to  our  school,  they  would  be  treated  as  our  own  were 
treated ;  but  never  a  thought  had  I  that  otherwise  I  owed 
them  any  consideration. 

But  here  was  a  man  so  zealous  in  spreading  the 
gospel  of  educational  opportunity  among  all  people  that 
he  never  lost  an  opportunity  to  speak  forth  the  good 
word.  He  made  me  think  of  ''going  into  the  by-ways 
and  hedges  and  compelling  them  to  come  in,"  and  he 
cared  not  whether  they  had  on  the  ' '  wedding  garments, ' ' 
just  so  they  came.  He  had  a  wider  conception  of  the 
work  of  a  school  than  had  ever  come  to  me.  He  be- 
lieved the  school  should  be  an  educational  center,  up- 
lifting to  the  whole  community,  both  the  town  and  the 
surrounding  rural  district,  drawing  into  its  classes  all 
possible  young  people  that  it  might  put  into  their  lives 
something  better  than  they  had  known,  ideals  that 
would  shape  them  to  nobler  manhood  and  womanhood. 
I  learned  my  lesson.  It  has  stayed  with  me  through  all 
the  years  of  my  school  teaching. 

Some  years  ago,  in  visiting  with  a  teacher  in  a  class- 
ical school  in  an  eastern  city,  he  said:  "We  have  no 
poor  students  in  this  school,  all  rank  high  in  scholarship. 
We  sometimes  get  in  some  poor  ones,  but  we  drive  them 
out  by  piling  on  the  work  till  they  are  glad  to  get  out. ' ' 
Was  he  a  teacher? 


WORTH  OUR  INTEREST  75 

Not  long  ago  in  conversation  with  a  teacher  from  one 
of  the  large  high  schools  of  a  city  in  the  Central  West, 
he  said:  "I  like  my  work  in  the  large  city  school.  The 
scholars  come  into  my  room  for  recitations ;  if  they  are 
are  prepared,  all  right;  if  not,  I  flunk  them.  At  the 
hour  for  closing  in  the  afternoon,  I  lock  my  door  and  go, 
home,  I  don't  have  to  know  a  single  one  of  them  nor  care 
anything  about  them  except  their  lessons  in  the  recita- 
tion. Oh  yes,  I  like  the  large  city  work,  I  would  not 
go  back  to  a  high  school  in  a  small  city  for  anything. 
I'm  so  perfectly  free  here." 

And  I  thought  to  myself:  "You  are  another  Nich- 
odemus — 'Ye  must  be  born  again'  before  you  are  a 
teacher. ' ' 

Another  young  man  teaching  in  a  large  high  school 
in  the  same  great  city  as  the  last,  said  in  answer  to  my 
question,  "Do  you  like  teaching  in  the  large  city  high 
school?"  replied:  "Mr.  Stableton,  I  like  it  for  one 
reason,  and  one  reason  only,  that  is,  I  get  better  pay 
than  I  ever  received  in  a  smaller  city;  but  I  do  not  do 
so  good  work  as  I  did  in  the  smaller  city  because  of  the 
conditions  in  schools  in  a  large  city.  I  feel  it  a  great  loss 
that  I  have  so  little  opportunity  to  know  the  scholars 
outside  of  the  classroom,  and  none  at  all,  I  might  say, 
outside  of  the  school.  Then  too,  I  spend  so  much  time 
on  the  street-cars  going  to  and  from  school,  time  that 
in  the  town  and  in  the  small  city,  I  gave  to  the  scholars 
and  so  was  helpful  to  them.  I  miss  greatly  the  oppor- 
tunity to  know  them  and  to  know  their  home  life,  that 
I  had  in  the  smaller  places." 

I  need  not  say  that  this  man  had  the  spirit  of  a 
teacher.  Ever  since  my  second  year  in  school  work,  I 
have  felt  it  a  duty,  a  duty  rising  to  the  height  of  a 
privilege,  to  look  up  and  bring  into  school  every  pos- 


76  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

sible  boy  or  girl  physically  and  mentally  fit  to  do  some 
kind  of  school  work. 

Dan  Pruit  finished  the  eighth  grade  and  entered  the 
high  school  at  fifteen  years  of  age.  He  was  a  boy  with 
good  physical  development  for  his  age,  and  graded  with 
the  better  half  of  his  class  in  scholarship.  By  the  middle 
of  his  second  year  in  the  high  school  he  had  made  an 
unusual  record  in  the  manual  training  shop.  He  was  a 
most  skillful  workman  and  turned  out  pieces  of  work 
that  were  a  wonder  to  the  others  in  the  shop.  Naturally 
the  manual  training  teacher  took:  great  pride  in  him,  so 
was  somewhat  disturbed  one  morning,  the  second  year 
Dan  was  in  the  high  school,  when  word  came  to  him 
that  Dan  and  another  boy  had  run  away  from  home,  and 
had  told  some  of  the  other  boys  that  they  were  going  to 
New  Orleans  and  get  work  there.  Dan  had  drawn  his 
own  money  from  the  bank,  so  he  had  money  for  the 
trip.  There  was  no  trouble  of  any  kind  at  home.  They 
just  wanted  to  take  a  trip.  The  two  boys  had  been 
dreaming  dreams  and  having  visions  of  the  time  they 
would  have  in  New  Orleans. 

But  they  had  only  been  there  a  few  days  when  they 
learned  that  dreams  of  New  Orleans  are  one  thing,  the 
city  itself  quite  a  different  thing.  Dan  had  money  for 
his  return  trip ;  but  his  companion  had  not,  so  he  wired 
his  father  for  money  for  the  home  trip. 

In  due  time,  the  two  boys  were  home  again,  wiser 
and  more  sober  than  when  they  started  southward.  They 
returned  to  school,  but  were  not  able  to  make  up  all  they 
had  missed  before  the  close  of  the  semester.  This  left 
them  each  two  studies  short  in  the  semester's  work. 

The  following  year,  Dan  did  a  good  year's  work  in 
school.  Soon  after  the  close  of  this  year,  he  entered  the 
U.  S.  service  and  sailed  for  France.  After  two  years  in 


WORTH  OUR  INTEREST  77 

the  service  of  his  country,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  he 
came  home.  Soon  after  coming  home,  he  called  to  see 
me.  He  now  knew  what  he  wished  to  follow  as  his  life 
work,  and  to  be  able  to  do  this,  must  either  complete  his 
high  school  course  or  take  up  the  same  work  in  some 
other  kind  of  a  school. 

I  proposed  to  him  that  he  come  back  to  us.  I  gave 
him  a  most  cordial  invitation  to  return  to  us.  "We 
talked  the  situation  over  and  finally  left  it  for  him  to 
consider  for  a  few  days  before  deciding.  After  due  con- 
sideration he  called  at  my  office  to  tell  me  he  would 
come  back  to  high  school  to  finish  his  course,  and  that 
he  was  coming  back,  notwithstanding  he  was  older  than 
the  other  scholars,  because  he  felt  we  would  be  pleased 
to  have  him  with  us  again. 

When  it  came  to  arranging  his  studies,  without 
thinking  of  what  he  had  lost  by  his  trip  to  New  Orleans, 
I  was  selecting  regular  Junior  work,  but  when  we  looked 
up  his  record,  I  found  him  short  two-  studies,  and 
asked :  ' '  How  did  that  happen  ? ' ' 

He  replied :  ' '  Don 't  you  remember  ?  They  are  what 
I  lost  by  taking  my  trip  to  New  Orleans."  I  remem- 
bered, and  we  both  laughed. 

He  did  splendid  work  for  two  years,  and  graduated 
one  of  the  best  scholars  in  his  class. 

Twice  he  was  brought  back  into  school  through  per- 
sonal interest  in  him,  first  after  his  return  from  New 
Orleans,  and  again  at  the  close  of  the  war.  He  is  a 
young  man  of  real  worth  today. 

********* 

One  day  in  the  opening  week  of  school  in  September 
several  years  ago,  a  mother  and  her  boy  called  at  my 
office  to  get  a  labor  permit  for  the  boy.  The  mother 


78  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

was  a  Polish  woman  and  could  not  speak  English. 
While  I  was  filling  out  the  permit  the  mother  and  the 
boy  carried  on  a  conversation  quite  animated,  of  ques- 
tions and  answers.  I  could  not  understand  a  word  but 
I  could  see  that  she  was  asking  the  boy  to  get  informa- 
tion from  me,  so  I  finally  asked  him  what  it  was  that 
she  wished  to  know. 

He  replied:  "She  wants  to  know  how  much  it 
would  cost  for  me  to  come  to  this  school." 

I  replied:  "Cost  you  to  come  to  this  school?  It 
would  not  cost  you  anything  but  your  books.  Can't 
you  come?  We'd  like  to  have  you." 

The  boy  held  an  eighth  grade  diploma  from  some 
parochial  school  so  was  eligible  to  enter  high  school. 

He  talked  again  with  his  mother  and  then  said: 
"She  wants  to  know  if  I  could  learn  to  be  a  clerk  if  I 
came  to  this  school." 

I  explained  to  him  that  we  could  give  him  the  op- 
portunity to  educate  himself  so  he  would  be  qualified  to 
be  a  clerk,  providing  he  would  do  the  work  given  in  the 
school.  There  was  a  manner  about  the  boy  that  was 
very  pleasing.  I  asked  him  if  it  would  not  be  possible 
for  him  to  come,  saying  I  wished  very  much  to  have  him 
in  our  school. 

Another  conversation  between  the  boy  and  the 
mother,  then  he  said:  "We  must  talk  with  my  father 
before  I  can  tell  you  whether  or  not  I  can  come  to  this 
school.  I  would  like  to  come." 

1 '  Why  can 't  your  father  come  talk  with  me  ?  I  'd  be 
pleased  to  talk  with  him,"  I  saiH,  "and  I'm  sure  I 
could  help  him  to  see  that  you  ought  to  come. ' ' 

"My  father  is  a  coal-miner  and  works  in  the  mine 
every  forenoon  but  could  see  you  some  afternoon,"  he 
replied. 


WORTH  OUR  INTEREST  79 

Two  days  later  the  father  and  the  boy  came  to  see 
me.  After  talking  with  the  father  explaining  the  school 
to  him,  I  took  him  to  the  shorthand  teacher  and  to  the 
teacher  of  typing,  to  meet  them.  Each  of  these  teachers 
explained  the  work  to  the  father  and  answered  his  ques- 
tions and  made  him  feel  that  she  would  like  to  have  his 
boy  in  class.  Then  we  called  on  a  teacher  of  English. 
She  too  made  him  feel  that  his  boy  was  worth  while. 

After  we  returned  to  the  office  he  said :  '  *  Jacob  will 
enter  your  school  Monday.  He  has  promised  to  do  some 

work  for  Mr.  this  week,  but  he  will  be  here 

Monday. " 

The  father  spoke  good  English,  and  was  a  very  in- 
telligent man. 

Monday  morning  Jacob  was  in  his  place  with  the  in- 
tention of  remaining  in  school  two  years  taking  for  the 
greater  part  work  in  the  commercial  department. 

He  had  been  in  school  but  a  few  months  when  two  of 
his  teachers  said  to  me  that  Jacob  was  too  fine  a  student 
to  be  permitted  to  drop  out  of  school  at  the  end  of  two 
years,  that  we  must  hold  him  for  the  full  four  years,  and 
must  begin  at  once  to  help  him  to  see  what  it  would 
mean  to  him  to  have  the  four  years  in  school  instead  of 
two. 

I  knew  that  if  any  teachers  in  the  school  could  in- 
spire a  boy  to  look  forward  to  a  full  four-year  course, 
to  graduation  from  the  high  school,  instead  of  two 
years  of  selected  commercial  work,  these  two  teachers 
could  do  it.  They  were  teachers  of  commercial  branches, 
and  knew  the  value  of  a  four-year  high  school  course  to 
scholars  looking  forward  to  business  or  commercial  life ; 
they  knew,  too,  how  to  put  the  value  of  the  four-year 
course  before  their  scholars  in  a  way  that  made  a  strong 
appeal ;  and  they  saved  many. 


80  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

The  fact  that  a  number  entered  our  high  school  each 
year  to  take  selected  work  for  two  years  mostly  from  the 
commercial  courses,  enabled  these  teachers  to  know  as 
other  teachers  could  not,  who  were  entering  for  two 
years  only.  All  the  commercial  teachers  made  it  a  part 
of  their  business  to  help,  as  much  as  possible,  these  two- 
year  scholars  to  an  appreciation  of  a  better  education 
than  two  years  could  give  them. 

Jacob,  before  the  first  year  was  passed,  was  planning 
his  work  on  the  basis  of  a  four-year  course.  He  was  ex- 
cellent everywhere.  The  last  year  he  was  in  school  he 
acted  as  helper  to  the  librarian  for  which  he  received  a 
small  remuneration.  A  month  before  the  close  of  that 
year,  he  was  offered  a  trial  position  in  the  freight  office 
of  one  of  the  railroads  if  he  could  have  a  certain  number 
of  hours  off  from  school  each  day  to  do  the  work.  The 
trial  month  would  pay  him  sixty-five  dollars.  If  he 
made  good,  his  salary  the  next  month  would  be  over 
eighty  dollars.  We  arranged  his  school  work  so  he 
could  have  time  for  the  office  work.  Perhaps  someone 
will  say :  "I  wish  you  would  tell  us  how  you  arranged 
his  work. ' '  With  this  possible  question  in  mind,  I  '11  tell 
you.  Jacob  was  one  of  those  marked  excellent  in  the 
senior  class.  The  time  he  must  have  off  would  take  from 
his  hours  for  practice  in  typing  only.  He  was  to  do  an 
even  greater  amount  of  typing  in  the  railroad  office.  We 
simply  accepted  the  hours  of  business  typing  as  an 
equivalent  for  his  hours  in  practice  typing. 

Jacob  made  good,  and  stepped  into  a  regular  position 
that  by  the  following  September  was  paying  him  one 
hundred  four  dollars  a  month. 

The  day  after  he  graduated,  he  came  to  me  and 
said :  "My  parents  want  me  to  thank  you  school  people 
for  what  you  have  done  for  me. ' ' 


WORTH  OUR  INTEREST  81 

I  wish  I  could  help  all  teachers  who  read  these  little 
personal  histories  to  appreciate  the  importance  of  the 
personal  element  in  school  work.  Mass  work  may  arouse ; 
personal  work  saves.  It  was  the  personal  touch  of  the 
two  teachers  mentioned  that  more  than  anything  else 
inspired  Jacob  to  complete  a  four-year  course. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

MISTRUSTFUL  OF  PARENTS  AND  HOME 
FRIENDS 

Often  boys  of  this  age  become  mistrustful  of  their 
parents  and  family  friends,  and  seek  some  other  adult 
person  or  persons  as  confidential  friend  or  friends  in 
whom  they  place  implicit  faith;  and  to  whom  they  re- 
veal their  hopes  and  their  plans,  as  well  as  all  their 
failures  and  disappointments.  These  friends  whom  they 
so  fully  trust  have  a  wonderful  opportunity  to  touch 
for  good,  to  inspire ;  to  fix  ideals  that  may  have  much  to 
do  in  shaping  for  good  or  evil  the  lives  of  these  boys. 

Mark  Jones  was  a  boy  of  good  intellect,  and  with  a 
well-developed  body  for  a  boy  of  fourteen,  when  he  en- 
tered the  high  school.  He  soon  became  deeply  interested 
in  high  school  athletics,  and  was  always  present  when 
teams  were  practicing.  His  regularity  at  the  practice 
work  attracted  the  attention  of  the  coach.  The  coach 
asked  me  about  him  saying  he  believed  he  would  try 
him  out  to  see  if  he  could  make  one  of  the  teams.  ' '  There 
is  just  one  thing  that  does  not  look  very  favorable,  that 
is,  he  has  taken  up  with  one  or  two  of  our  most  worth- 
less high  school  boys,"  said  the  coach.  "But,"  con- 
tinued he,  "possibly  if  I  put  him  on  one  of  the  teams 
where  he  will  be  closely  associated  with  the  team  boys 
he  will  make  them  his  intimate  friends  and  thus  come 
from  under  the  influence  of  the  other  boys.  The  team 
boys  are  surely  a  great  bunch  of  boys  this  year." 

Mark  had  been  a  fine  boy  in  the  elementary  school, 
but  I  had  noticed,  as  the  coach  said,  that  he  had  fallen 
in  with  a  group  of  high  school  boys  whose  influence 
might  be  harmful  to  him.  I  had  also  noticed  that  out 

82 


MISTRUSTFUL  OF  PARENTS  83 

of  school  he  was  often  to  be  seen  in  the  company  of  two 
or  three  boys  who  were  not  in  school,  boys  whose  in- 
fluence could  be  none  other  than  harmful. 

I  was  greatly  pleased  to  have  the  coach  state  the  sit- 
uation as  he  had  done,  for  I  knew  that  the  coach  had  a 
wonderful  influence  over  the  boys  in  his  teams  and  that 
he  would  leave  nothing  undone  on  his  part  to  save  the 
boy. 

Mark  proved  out  in  good  shape  and  was  given  a 
prominent  place  on  the  first  football  team.  He  made  a 
great  athletic  record  throughout  the  four  years  of  his 
high  school  life,  and  in  his  scholarship  always  stood 
well.  He  unconsciously  dropped  out  his  associates  that 
were  not  of  the  right  type  and  in  the  same  way  became 
one  in  sympathy  and  spirit  with  the  team  boys.  This 
coach  was  always  alert  to  the  possibility  for  good  and 
had  unusual  power  in  making  his  teams  not  only  win- 
ning teams,  but  teams  whose  influence  on  the  school  life 
was  wholesome  and  uplifting. 

But  during  Mark's  high  school  life,  he  never  made 
his  father  a  confident  in  anything.  In  fact,  he  never 
talked  with  his  father  of  his  school  work  and  school  in- 
terests ;  nor  of  his  plans  or  wishes  for  education  beyond 
the  high  school.  The  father  mourned  the  fact  that  he 
had  no  part  in  his  boy's  life  at  that  time.  What  he 
knew  of  Mark,  he  learned  from  school  teachers  and 
principal,  or  superintendent,  never  from  Mark.  There 
was  no  trouble  between  them,  nor  for  a  time  was  there 
anything  else  between  them.  Mark  would  drop  into  my 
office  sometimes  and  tell  me  what  he  hoped  to  do  after 
completing  his  high  school  course ;  but  never  a  word  of 
this  did  he  tell  his  father.  He  had  great  admiration  for 
the  athletic  coach  and  made  him  a  confident  in  every- 
thing. 


84  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINK 

I  could  give  other  cases  where  the  boys,  who  for  a 
year  or  two,  closed  themselves  up  tight  as  closed  clams, 
to  their  fathers,  but  were  free  to  talk  with  some  other 
friends,  friends  of  their  own  choosing.  I  remember,  in 
particular,  one  father,  a  father  who  gave  his  son  every 
opportunity  that  could  come  to  a  boy  of  his  age,  but  who 
suffered  greatly  for  two  or  three  years  because  the  boy 
held  himself  completely  aloof  from  him.  The  boy  im- 
proved every  opportunity  made  possible  by  the  father, 
but  during  this  time  manifested  no  appreciation  of  what 
the  father  was  doing  for  him,  and  held  his  lips  closed  in 
his  father's  presence.  But  a  few  years  later,  the  father 
and  son  were  close  companions,  and  the  son  was,  indeed, 
a  son  to  his  father. 

How  careful  must  be  the  teacher  whom  the  boy 
chooses  for  his  trusted  friend,  that  he  may  ever  keep  the 
right  ideals  before  the  boy. 

Here  is  another  boy  whose  case  is  very  different  from 
the  two  given.  The  father  of  this  boy  was  largely  at 
fault,  as  you  will  plainly  see. 

Alexander  Grey  came  from  a  home  of  not  what  you 
would  call  wealth,  but  a  home  of  " great  plenty" ;  if  you 
will  pardon  the  use  of  the  term.  He  was  one  of  the  best- 
dressed  boys  in  the  high  school,  and  knew  how  to  dress 
most  Becomingly.  He  was  a  handsome  lad,  one  whose 
first  appearance  would  attract  attention.  But  while  he 
was  a  boy  of  good  mental  ability,  he  did  a  low  grade  of 
school  work.  His  social  life  of  evenings  so  exhausted 
his  nerve  force  that  he  had  but  little  energy  left  for 
school  studies. 

One  day  the  high  school  principal  came  into  my 
office  to  talk  with  me  about  Alex,  as  we  called  him. 
After  considering  his  case  very  carefully,  I  requested 
the  principal  to  write  his  father,  telling  him  that  Alex 


MISTRUSTFUL  OF  PARENTS  85 

was  utterly  failing  in  his  work  and  asking  the  father's 
help  in  trying  to  bring  the  boy  to  a  better  grade  of 
work.  This  was  Friday  afternoon.  The  principal  sent 
the  letter  that  day. 

Monday  morning  before  school,  Alex  came  in  to  see 
me,  looking  as  if  he  had  lost  his  last  friend.  I  asked  him 
what  I  could  do  for  him. 

Scarcely  waiting  for  me  to  finish  my  question,  he 
began  saying:  "The  principal  has  done  it  now,  he's 
done  it  now,  and  he  had  no  right  to  do  it." 

"Done  what?"  I  asked. 

He  replied :  "He  wrote  dad  that  I  was  not  doing  my- 
work  here  at  school,  and  when  dad  read  the  letter  yes- 
terday he  got  mad  and  said  I'd  got  to  leave  home  this 
morning,  get  a  job  of  work  and  make  my  own  way.  He's 
canned  me  out,  so  I've  got  to  get  a  job  and  go  to  work. 
The  principal  had  no  right  to  write  father  how  I  was 
doing  here." 

I  replied :  "It  was  at  my  request  that  the  principal 
wrote  your  father,  and  the  principal  did  just  the  right 
thing,  for  your  father  has  a  right  to  know  how  you  are 
doing  here ;  and  you  know  as  well  as  I  do  that  you  are 
not  doing  what  you  should  do.  Don't  be  angry  with  the 
principal,  but  blame  me;  but  Alex,  remember  it  is  not 
only  my  right,  but  my  duty,  to  let  your  father  know  how 
you  are  doing.  It's  my  duty  to  you  as  well  as  to  your 
father." 

Alex  then  said :  ' ' Oh,  Mr.  Stableton,  you  don't  know 
my  dad,  you  don't  know  him." 

"But  I  know  this,  Alex,  he  is  very  much  concerned 
to  have  you  do  your  best  here,  and  you  are  not  doing  it." 

After  a  few  more  words,  I  advised  Alex  to  go  to  his 
father,  promise  his  father  that  he  would  try  his  best  to 
bring  up  his  school  work  if  he  would  receive  him  back 


86  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

home,  and  let  him  return  to  school.  But  Alex  said  it 
would  do  no  good,  that  his  "dad  had  canned  him  out" 
so  he  must  hunt  a  job. 

As  I  could  not  talk  longer  with  him  at  that  time,  I 
told  him  to  come  back  at  the  noon  hour  and  report  what 
he  had  done.  At  noon,  he  came  looking  more  discon- 
solate than  ever.  He  had  tried  all  forenoon  to  find  a  job 
and  had  found  none.  He  was  really  distressed,  for  he 
had  been  provided  for  in  a  lavish  manner,  and  now  he 
had  been  sent  out  from  home  with  nothing  to  do,  no 
place  to  go.  I  said  again  to  him:  "Go,  put  yourself 
right  with  your  father,  then  things  will  improve. ' ' 

But  he  replied:  "Mr.  Stableton,  you  don't  know 
what  kind  of  a  man  my  dad  is,  he  always  says  to  me 
'You're  going  to  Hell,  you  are  going  to  Hell,  and  I'm 
not  going  with  you,  you're  going  to  Hell.'  My,  but  he 
gets  mad. ' ' 

Finally,  I  said:  "You  go  to  your  father  intending 
to  do  the  right  thing  about  your  school  work.  You 
know  you  have  been  wasting  your  time,  doing  almost 
nothing.  Get  right  about  that  and  let  your  father  see 
that  you  mean  what  you  say.  You  do  this,  then  report 
to  me  at  four  o'clock  this  afternoon,  and  no  difference 
what  report  you  bring  me,  I'll  go  and  talk  with  your 
father. ' '  He  finally  said  he  would  do  this. 

Shortly  after  4  o'clock  p.  m.  my  office  door  opened 
quietly  and  Alex  with  a  face  all  beaming,  stepped  in. 
I  looked  up  and  nodded  come  on,  and  as  he  came  up  to 
my  desk,  he  said:  "I  talked  with  dad." 

I  asked:    "What  did  your  father  say?" 

He  replied:  "Dad  said  he'd  rather  have  me  go  to 
school  than  do  anything  else ;  for  me  to  go  home  and  be 
ready  for  school  in  the  morning." 

I  then  asked  where  I  would  find  his  father.    He  told 


MISTRUSTFUL  OF  PARENTS  87 

me  I  would  find  him  at  that  hour,  five  o'clock  p.  m.  in  a 
certain  room  at  one  of  the  clubs  of  the  city,  playing 
cards. 

But  before  I  tell  of  my  call  on  the  father,  I  must 
tell  you  some  other  things  Alex  said  that  were  very  in- 
teresting. 

He  said:  "Dad  says  boys  should  stay  at  home  at 
night  and  study  like  lie  did  when  he  lived  on  the  farm ; 
that  boys  have  no  right  to  go  out  to  clubs  at  night  and 
to  stay  out  late;  but  dad  goes  to  a  club  every  night 
in  the  week  and  plays  cards,  and  comes  home  late.  He 
don't  seem  to  know  that  times  have  changed  for  boys  as 
well  as  for  men,  and  that  boys  have  some  rights  as  well 
as  men. ' ' 

I  called  at  the  club  as  Alex  had  directed  me,  and 
found  the  father  in  the  midst  of  a  game  of  cards.  I 
made  know  my  errand,  that  I  had  come  to  talk  with  him 
about  Alex. 

He  left  the  game  and  we  passed  to  a  room  where  we 
could  talk  privately.  When  we  were  seated  he  looked 
at  me,  the  tears  streaming  down  his  face,  and  said :  ' '  It 's 
all  settled  now,  Alex  and  I  buried  the  hatchet  this  after- 
noon. It's  all  settled  and  there  won't  be  any  more 
trouble." 

After  we  had  had  a  good  talk  about  Alex,  I  said  to 
him:  "I  feel  sure  Alex's  intentions  are  all  right,  how- 
ever you  must  not  be  surprised  if  Alex  does  not  do  all 
that  you  hope  he  will  do.  If  he  should  fail  to  do  as  we  all 
wish  he  would  do,  don't  put  him  out  of  your  home;  let 
him  work,  that  is  all  right ;  but  he  is  your  boy,  keep  him 
in  your  home." 

The  next  morning  Alex's  mother,  she  was  his  step- 
mother, but  was  a  real  mother  to  Alex,  called  at  my  office. 
She  first  asked  if  Alex  were  in  school,  and  was  happy  to 


88  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

know  that  he  was.  She  was  the  boy's  best  friend  and  did 
all  that  she  could  to  help  him  to  do  right ;  but  she  said 
his  father  worshipped  him  and  humored  him  almost  to 
his  ruin.  She  said  he  spent  money  without  counting 
it  in  buying  clothing  and  other  things  that  Alex  wanted, 
never  denying  him  anything.  But  that  once  in  a  while 
when  Alex  would  go  too  far  or  greatly  disappoint  him, 
his  father  would  get  desperately  mad  and  go  to  some 
unreasonable  extreme  with  the  boy.  She  had  been 
greatly  worried  over  the  father's  driving  the  boy  from 
home,  and  was  glad  that  I  had  asked  him  not  to  do  it 
again. 

Alex  tried  hard  to  do  his  work  and  made  a  marked 
improvement  for  a  time,  but  did  not  continue  in  school 
to  complete  a  high  school  course. 

Alex  knew  the  weaknesses  of  his  father,  and  made 
them  an  excuse  for  his  own  shortcomings.  At  that  time 
he  had  no  wholesome  respect  for  his  father  and  when 
face  to  face  he  would  upbraid  his  father,  unmercifully 
lashing  him  with  his  tongue,  never  failing  to  hit  him 
at  his  most  vulnerable  points.  I  learned  this  by  hap- 
pening to  be  present  once  when  the  father  and  Alex 
were  having  a  talk. 

In  the  first  two  cases  given  in  this  chapter,  the  boys 
found  no  fault  with  their  fathers,  nor  would  either  of 
them  permit  one  to  speak  in  any  but  the  highest  terms 
of  his  father  without  a  protest.  They  held  their  fathers 
in  high  esteem,  yet  at  the  same  time,  for  a  year  or  two, 
chose  other  persons  for  their  confidential  friends.  Alex 
had  a  certain  contempt  for  his  father,  yet  all  the  while 
made  his  father's  weaknesses,  that  called  forth  his  con- 
tempt, his  own  excuse  for  failure  to  do  his  best.  A  few 
years  later,  Alex,  while  still  recognizing  the  weaknesses 
of  his  father,  appreciated  his  many  good  qualities,  and 
had  a  very  different  attitude  toward  him. 


CHAPTER  IX 

CHEATING— GRAMMAR  GRADE  PUPILS,  HIGH 
SCHOOL  SCHOLARS 

I  have  said  it  before  and  say  it  again,  that  high  school 
scholars  have  a  wonderfully  high  sense  of  honor,  higher 
by  far  than  that  of  most  of  the  fathers  of  these  young 
people.  If  I  were  to  be  tried  before  a  jury  I  would 
rather  have  a  jury  composed  of  high  school  scholars  than 
of  any  other  group  of  people.  They  have  a  fine  sense  of 
justice. 

But  this  having  a  fine  sense  of  justice  does  not  in- 
terfere with  their  having  a  keen  sense  of  humor,  nor 
does  it  always  prevent  their  keen  sense  of  humor  from 
leading  them  to  do  things  that,  to  those  who  know  them 
not,  would  seem  to  indicate  an  entire  lack  of  honor. 

To  cheat  in  a  class  having  a  teacher  who  fails  to 
make  every  condition  conducive  to  honesty  in  answering 
test  questions,  does  not  appeal  to  many  high  school 
scholars  and  grammar  pupils  as  cheating,  but  rather  as 
a  means  of  self -protection. 

In  one  of  our  seventh  grade  rooms  for  a  part  of  a 
semester  we  had  a  teacher  under  whose  care  the  pupils 
made  a  regular  practice  of  cheating.  I  never  saw  a  room 
more  completely  given  over  to  this  kind  of  work.  I 
talked  with  the  teacher  who  was  quite  unconscious  of  the 
extent  to  which  it  was  being  carried.  The  teacher  could 
give  no  explanation.  I  followed  closely  her  plan  of  giv- 
ing a  test  or  written  lesson,  then  I  found  that  she  took 
no  care  to  see  that  everything  was  conducive  to  honesty 
on  the  part  of  those  taking  the  test.  Instead  of  de- 
voting her  undivided  attention  to  those  writing,  she 
placed  the  questions  on  the  board,  set  the  class  to  writing 

89 


90  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

while  she  looked  over  some  other  written  work,  or  busied 
herself  with  arranging  other  things.  The  order  of  those 
writing  was  quiet  and  not  at  all  to  be  criticised  till  one 
noted  what  they  were  doing,  then  it  required  no  effort  to 
see  that  the  test  was  a  farce,  that  it  was  largely  copy 
work. 

Again  I  talked  with  the  teacher.  I  said:  "Why, 
they  copy  right  in  your  presence  and  seem  to  think  noth- 
ing of  it. ' ' 

She  still  could  not  understand  why  they  should  be 
so  dishonest.  She  said  that  after  having  the  books  put 
into  the  desks,  the  papers,  pen,  and  ink  ready  for  work, 
she  tried  not  to  watch  them  too  closely,  for  fear  they 
would  think  she  thought  them  dishonest ;  that  she  thought 
it  would  do  them  great  harm,  would  tend  to  make  them 
dishonest,  if  they  thought  she  were  watching  them. 

Then  that  she  might  see  the  situation  from  the  pupils' 
point  of  view,  I  told  her  that  the  best  boys  and  girls  in 
her  room  said  that  she  did  nothing  to  protect  them  when 
they  tried  to  be  what  she  would  call  honest,  but  by  her 
lack  of  attention  to  what  was  being  done  permitted  those 
who  did  not  hesitate  to  copy,  to  copy  all  they  pleased, 
and  that  then  she  graded  their  papers  giving  credit  just 
as  if  they  had  been  honestly  written.  This  they  said 
made  it  necessary  for  those  who  would  be  strictly  honest 
to  work  on  the  same  plane  as  the  others  in  order  to 
have  a  fair  show ;  that  they  did  not  feel  that  they  were  in 
the  least  dishonest,  but  were  simply  acting  in  self-defense. 

This  teacher's  services  were  soon  dispensed  with. 
Many  teachers  have  her  wrong  point  of  view. 

When  a  little  later  on  these  same  pupils  passed  into 
the  eighth  grade  under  the  care  of  another  teacher,  all 
was  changed.  The  scholars  would  tell  you  that  nobody 
cheated  in  Miss  G 's  room;  that  she  protected  the 


CHEATING  91 

honest  ones  from  those  that  would  cheat  by  making  it 
impossible  for  anyone  to  cheat.  They  would  say  "No 

one  could  cheat  in  Miss  G 's  room.  It  doesn't  seem 

that  anyone  wants  to  cheat  in  her  room. ' ' 

The  fact  was  that  Miss  G was  one  of  the  ablest 

teachers  in  the  school,  a  woman  of  fine  personality  that 
created  an  atmosphere  in  her  room  that  lifted  her  pupils 
above  mean,  little  things.  But  how  carefully  she 
guarded  that  she  might  not  tempt  any  of  them  to  do  the 
unfair  thing.  When  she  wished  to  give  a  written  lesson, 
test,  if  you  prefer  so  to  call  it,  she  quietly  asked  the 
pupils  to  clear  their  desks  and  get  their  paper,  pen  and 
ink  ready  for  a  written  lesson.  And  the  pupils  just  as 
quietly  as  she  had  given  the  instructions,  cleared  their 
desks,  put  paper,  pen,  and  ink  in  order  for  the  lesson  and 
waited  a  moment  for  her  to  place  on  the  board  a  few 
well-selected  questions  to  be  answered.  Then  at  a  word 
from  her  they  began  thinking  the  questions  and  writing 
the  answers. 

For  the  hour  of  the  test  she  gave  her  undivided  at- 
tention to  the  class.  She  knew  what  each  one  was  doing. 
She  watched  them  carefully.  Was  she  spying  on  them? 
It  would  not  have  been  well  for  anyone  to  ask  one  of  her 
pupils  that  question.  It  would  have  been  taken  as  almost 
an  insult.  Their  teacher  never  spied  on  anyone;  she 
was  ' '  tending  to  her  business. ' ' 

She  was  studying  her  pupils.  From  their  manner  of 
writing  a  test  she  learned  much  of  their  habits  of  think- 
ing. It  is  true  that  studying  the  faces  of  pupils  writing 
a  test  gives  quite  an  insight  into  their  thinking.  She 
asks  John  to  take  a  little  more  time  for  thinking  his 
answers  before  writing  them  down,  to  go  just  a  little 
more  slowly  as  he  had  hurried  the  last  written  lesson 
too  much  to  do  his  best,  As  she  notices  William's  paper, 


92  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

just  a  glance,  she  says  "Fine,  William,  try  to  write  a 
little  faster,  but  don't  hurry."  William  was  a  very 
scholarly  boy  but  was  of  slow  movement  in  all  that  he 
did.  John  was  a  fair  student,  but  quick  and  a  little 
scattering.  It  was  his  custom  to  hurry  through  a  written 
lesson  omitting  many  things  that  a  little  time  for  thought 
would  have  enabled  him  to  put  down.  Then  at  the  close 
of  school  after  the  other  pupils  had  passed  out,  he 
would  step  up  to  the  teacher  to  tell  her  how  much  he 
knew  of  the  answers  to  the  questions  that  he  forgot  to 
write  down. 

I  agree  with  the  pupils  that  some  apparent  cheating 
is  not  cheating. 

Then  I've  seen  the  high  school  scholar  who  prided 
himself  on  his  smartness  in,  as  he  said,  "getting  by" 
with  certain  teachers  who  were  so  sure  no  one  could 
cheat  in  their  examinations.  He  does  not  consider  that 
he  is  dishonest,  he  is  only  as  he  puts  it,  "pulling  off  a 
great  joke." 

I  am  reminded  that  this  sense  of  getting  ahead  of  the 
teacher  is  taken  as  a  joke  by  students  in  schools  higher 
than  grammar  grades  and  high  schools.  Two  young 
friends  of  mine,  former  high  school  scholars  were  at- 
tending a  college  of  fine  standing.  It  was  nearing  the 
close  of  their  second  year.  One  of  the  young  women 
had  been  out  of  school  sick  for  several  weeks  and  as  she 
was  an  excellent  student,  was  given  the  privilege  of 
making  up  the  work  she  had  missed.  She  was  to  take  an 
examination  on  a  certain  textbook  in  school  management 
one  afternoon,  and  asked  the  other  young  woman  her 
friend,  to  go  with  her  to  the  professor's  classroom.  The 
second  young  woman  had  this  same  textbook  to  make 
up  before  the  close  of  the  year.  She  had  never  looked 
inside  the  book;  but  she  not  only  agreed  to  go  with  her 


CHEATING  93 

friend,  but  said  she  believed  she  would  try  to  pass  the 
examination  too.  She  took  her  friend's  book,  spent  a 
half -hour  in  studying  the  table  of  contents,  then  to- 
gether they  presented  themselves  for  examination.  The 
one  who  had  really  studied  the  book  made  herself  the 
more  prominent.  As  there  were  only  two  of  them,  the 
professor  examined  them  orally.  The  one  who  had  never 
read  a  word  farther  than  the  table  of  contents  very 
skilfully  seconded  what  the  other  one  answered,  and  also 
managed  to  ask  the  professor  if  he  really  agreed  fully 
with  the  author  in  what  he  said  on  this  subject  and  that 
subject  in  certain  chapters  of  the  book.  The  professor, 
who  was  quite  susceptible  to  flattery,  felt  called  upon  to 
air  his  views  and  to  point  out  wherein  he  did  not  wholly 
agree  with  the  author. 

At  the  end  of  a  very  pleasant  hour,  the  professor 
said  he  was  more  than  satisfied  with  their  thorough 
mastery  of  the  book,  and  passed  them  with  grades  well 
up  in  the  eighties. 

The  two  young  women  left  the  examination  con- 
gratulating themselves  on  the  exceedingly  smart  trick 
they  had  worked  on  the  professor.  And  to  this  day  the 
young  woman  who  made  an  86%  on  a  book  she  had  not 
even  read,  thinks  that  about  the  smartest  thing  she  has 
ever  done. 

I  leave  you  to  judge  of  the  honesty  of  this  young 
woman. 

There  are  high  school  students  and  grammar  grade 
pupils  who  would  not  hesitate  to  deliberately  take  ad- 
vantage of  any  help  in  recitations  or  in  tests  with  the 
object  of  making  a  grade.  No  one  could  justify  this  in 
the  least ;  but  in  dealing  with  such  offenses  we  must  not 
treat  the  offender  as  a  criminal  but  help  him  to  appre- 


94  YOUE  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

ciate  the  unfairness  of  it  and,  as  it  were,  lift  him  above 
committing  such  offenses. 

One  day  one  of  our  high  school  teachers  of  English 
handed  me  two  book  reviews  of  the  same  book  by  two 
of  her  scholars  and  asked  me  to  read  them  and  tell  her 
what  I  thought  of  them.  I  read  them  and  then  said  that 
they  were  so  nearly  the  same  in  all  points  that  they 
must  have  been  prepared  as  a  piece  of  joint  work,  or  that 
one  was  a  copy  of  the  other. 

She  then  told  me  she  had  talked  with  both  boys ;  and 

that  Morris  R had  admitted  that  he  had  copied 

the  other  boy's  paper.  He  had  said  that  he  was  pushed 
for  time,  and  so  copied  the  paper.  She  said  further  that 
Morris  did  not  seem  to  appreciate  the  dishonesty  he  had 
been  guilty  of,  so  she  thought  he  needed  a  severe  punish- 
ment as  a  lesson. 

I  listened  attentively  and  then  asked  what  she 
thought  should  be  done.  To  which  she  replied  that  she 
thought  he  ought  to  be  dismissed  from  school;  that  it 
would  teach  him  a  good  lesson  and  be  a  lesson  to  others. 

"No,"  I  said,  "I  can't  quite  agree  with  you.  I  will 
talk  with  Morris  and  try  to  help  him  to  see  that  he 
should  be  above  taking  what  he  has  not  earned.  I  would 
like  you  to  assign  him  another  book  for  a  written  re- 
view, one  as  difficult  as  the  first  one.  He  must  make 
good  the  work.  This,  together  with  my  talk  with  him, 
will  be  sufficient  for  the  present. "  Then  I  called  at- 
tention to  his  record  in  high  school.  This  was  near  the 
end  of  his  third  year.  No  other  complaint  of  any  kind 
had  been  made  against  him  this  year;  during  the  years 
before  he  had  given  us  great  concern  on  account  of  his 
conduct.  In  fact,  the  year  before  he  had  been  out  of 
school  at  least  three  months  of  the  year,  rather  than  do 


CHEATING  95 

as  his  teachers  had  requested  in  class  work.  He  had 
become  so  disagreeable  toward  his  teachers,  and  so  de- 
termined to  have  his  own  way,  that  when  his  case  was 
finally  referred  to  me,  I  talked  with  him  and  told  him 
there  were  only  two  ways  open  to  him ;  one  was  to  con- 
tinue in  school  obedient  and  respectful  to  his  teachers; 
or  the  other,  to  drop  out  of  school  until  he  was  willing 
to  conduct  himself  in  the  proper  manner  toward  his 
teachers. 

He  finally  decided  he  would  drop  out  of  school 
rather  than  do  as  the  teachers  wished  him  to  do.  All  I 
could  do  was  to  say :  '  *  I  'm  sorry,  Morris,  that  you  take 
this  stand  and  I  hope  some  day  you  will  see  things  in  a 
better  light,  and  will  return  to  us  ready  to  do  your 
part  and  finish  your  high  school  education/' 

We  parted  friends,  even  though  I  could  not  recog- 
nize his  way  of  looking  at  things. 

He  secured  a  job  of  work  and  was  busily  employed 
all  summer.  I  often  met  him  on  the  street  as  he  went 
to  and  from  his  work.  There  was  always  a  friendly 
word  between  us,  and  sometimes  we  walked  along  to- 
gether and  chatted. 

One  day  just  before  the  opening  of  school  in  Sep- 
tember, Morris  called  on  me  at  my  office.  He  came  in 
looking  happy-spirited  and  almost  in  his  first  words 
asked:  "Mr.  Stableton,  I  want  to  come  back  to  school, 
will  you  let  me?  I'll  do  anything  any  teacher  wishes 
me  to  do." 

I  answered  as  I  extended  my  hand  to  him,  "Let  you 
come  back?  I'm  mighty  glad  to  have  you  come  back. 
By  your  words,  you  have  already  cleared  away  every- 
thing that  stood  in  your  way.  I've  been  sorry  to  have 


96  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

you  out  at  all,  but  could  not  help  it  when  you  took  the 
stand  you  did." 

He  replied:  ''I  know  how  you  have  felt.  You  and 
the  teachers  were  right  all  the  time,  but  something  was 
wrong  with  me,  I  don't  know  what,  but  I'll  do  my  best 
this  time." 

Then  he  asked  me  if  it  would  be  possible  for  him  to 
have  the  privilege  of  taking  one  study  more  than  was 
ordinarily  permitted,  saying  that  he  had  already  made 
so  many  extra  credits  that  if  permitted  to  carry  the  ad- 
ditional work,  he  could  still  graduate  with  his  class, 
and  added  that  the  heavy  work  would  help  to  keep  him 
busy  so  he  would  have  no  time  for  other  things.  "My 
conduct,"  he  said,  "I  know,  will  be  better  if  I  have 
about  all  I  can  do. ' '  He  obtained  his  request. 

Do  you  wonder  that  I  was  deeply  interested  in  all 
that  he  did  that  year?  Do  you  wonder  that  I  felt  there 
was  a  better  way  than  the  teacher  suggested  to  help  him 
when  he  had  blundered? 

I  talked  with  Morris.  He  was  very  frank  in  admit- 
ting that  he  had  done  wrong.  He  said  his  work  was 
pressing  and  without  much  thought  he  had  copied  the 
paper  and  passed  it  in,  although  he  knew  it  was  not 
right.  He  did  not  justify  his  act  at  all,  and  was  willing 
to  do  anything  in  his  power  to  make  it  right. 

The  affair  was  settled  as  I  had  suggested.  This  was 
his  only  offense  during  the  entire  year.  When  the  year 
closed,  he  had  done  the  greatest  amount  of  school  work 
of  high  grade  of  any  student  that  year  in  the  high 
school.  You  may  judge  whether  or  not  we  dealt  justly 
with  him. 

After  all  is  said  of  cheating  in  the  grammar  grades 
and  the  high  schools,  it  comes  back  to  the  teacher. 
There  are  teachers  who  so  carefully  guard  against  op- 


CHEATING  97 

portunities  for  cheating,  and  whose  personalities  create 
such  an  atmosphere  of  fair  play  and  honesty  that  no 
one  thinks  of  cheating  in  their  presence.  These  teachers 
at  the  evening  hour  can  with  a  good  conscience  pray: 
"Lead  us  not  into  temptation"  for  they  have  tried  not 
to  lead  their  scholars  into  temptation.  Their  slumber 
should  be  sweet.  But  these  other  teachers  who  have 
been  so  afraid  of  their  pupils '  thinking  they  were  spying 
on  them,  who  so  ignorantly  have  trusted  the  boys  and 
the  girls  above  what  they  were  able  to  bear  and  so  have 
tempted  them  to  wrong,  these  teachers  as  night  closes 
about  them  could  not  well  pray  the  Lord's  Prayer, 
"Lead  us  not  into  temptation,"  but  rather,  each  should 
in  all  humility  pray,  "Lord  be  merciful  to  me,  a 


CHAPTER  X 
THE  TAKING  OF  THE  PROPERTY  OF  OTHERS 

The  taking  of  property  belonging  to  others  often 
presents  problems  to  the  teacher,  to  the  principal,  to 
the  superintendent,  and  to  parents. 

Omar  G was  in  the  sixth  grade  when  he  came 

to  us  and  continued  in  school  with  us  to  the  close  of  his 
second  year  in  the  high  school  when  he  dropped  out  to 
go  to  work.  He  was  a  bright,  attractive  boy,  polite  and 
manly,  and  soon  won  the  respect  and  confidence  of  his 
schoolmates  and  teachers.  His  mother  worked  hard  to 
make  a  home  for  him  and  herself,  doing  any  kind  of  re- 
spectable work  she  could  find  to  do. 

His  record  in  scholarship  was  not  high,  though  he 
was  by  no  means  a  failure  and  his  deportment  had 
always  been  so  correct  that  I  was  somewhat  disappointed 
when  one  day,  during  his  second  year  in  the  high  school, 
the  high  school  principal  reported  to  me  that  Omar  had 
taken  some  property  that  was  not  his,  had  written  his 
name  in  it,  and  was  using  it  as  his  own.  We  had  been 
having  considerable  trouble  with  book  stealing  so  this 
offense  was  quite  serious. 

The  principal  asked  me  to  talk  with  him,  saying: 
' '  You  Ve  had  him  so  long  on  your  mind  and  heart  that  I 
know  you  can  do  him  good.  He  has  returned  the  prop- 
erty and  has  confessed  everything;  but  I  feel  a  talk 
from  you  will  help  him  to  do  right  in  the  future." 

Omar  came  to  talk  with  me,  ashamed  that  he  had 
taken  what  did  not  belong  to  him,  and  that  he  had  done 
it  knowing  it  was  wrong.  We  talked  it  all  over,  just 
what  it  meant  to  take  property  that  was  not  his,  and 
that  while  it  was  not  of  great  value,  the  principle  of  the 

98 


STEALING  99 

act  was  as  wrong  as  though  it  had  been  something  of 
much  greater  value ;  and  how  he  had  always  had  a  name 
free  from  any  tarnish  of  wrong,  and  how  important  for 
him  that  he  live  so  honest  a  life  that  all  of  his  friends 
could  recommend  him  for  the  best  places  he  might  be 
able  to  fill;  but  above  all  that  he  be  honest  because  it 
was  right. 

He  was  greatly  broken  up  and  felt  keenly  the  dis- 
grace of  his  wrongdoing.  Up  to  this  time  so  far  as  we 
knew  he  had  been  honest  and  straightforward.  His  be- 
ing detected  and  called  to  account  for  this  his  first  act 
of  this  kind  so  far  as  anyone  knew,  would  in  all  prob- 
ability prove  a  lasting  lesson  to  him.  It  takes  repeated 
acts  of  wrongdoing  at  this  time  of  life  to  form  bad 
character,  to  establish  the  habit  of  wrongdoing.  As  one 
writer  says,  ''repeated  acts  either  good  or  bad,  at  this 
time  in  life  mean  character-building. ' '  If  by  any  means 
we  can  keep  the  boy  who  has  made  one  mistake  by  doing 
a  wrong,  from  repeating  that  wrong,  we  can  help  to 
keep  him  out%  of  the  criminal  class. 

Just  after  the  close  of  school  in  June  that  year,  one 
of  our  leading  merchants  called  me  on  the  phone  and 

said:  "Omar  G has  applied  to  me  for  a  position 

in  our  store  and  has  referred  me  to  you  for  a  recom- 
mendation. "We  need  a  boy.  Is  he  one  for  us  to  take? 
Will  you  recommend  him  to  us?" 

I  replied :  "I  would  like  very  much  for  you  to  take 
Omar  into  your  employe,  but  before  you  take  him,  I 
wish  to  have  a  talk  with  you  about  him ;  though  you  must 
give  him  the  place." 

He  then  said:  "I'll  come  to  your  office  right  away, 
if  you  can  talk  with  me  now?" 

I  replied :    ' '  Come  on.    I  '11  talk  with  you. ' ' 


100  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

When  he  came,  I  said  to  him  that  while  I  recom- 
mended Omar  to  him  and  was  very  anxious  for  him  to 
give  the  boy  a  place,  still  I  felt  that  for  the  boy's  sake 
and  for  his  sake  he  must  know  the  boy  as  I  had  come  to 
know  him  by  having  him  in  school  five  years.  I  then 
told  him  all  I  knew  of  the  boy,  including  the  taking  of 
the  property  of  another  scholar;  and  said  that  I  be- 
lieved the  boy  would  prove  honest;  but  that  I  would 
rather  he  would  refuse  Omar  a  place  than  for  him  to 
put  him  where  he  would  continually  be  tempted  by 
handling  money  so  loosely  that  no  one  could  call  him  to 
account  definitely  at  the  close  of  each  day  for  every 
penny  that  passed  through  his  hands ;  that  with  careful 
guarding  for  a  year  or  two  he  would  make  an  honest, 
trustworthy  man,  but  that  by  being  placed  where  he 
would  be  tempted  too  strongly  at  that  time,  he  might, 
little  by  little,  fall  into  the  habit  of  dishonesty.  To  me 
for  the  boy,  it  was  a  very  serious  matter.  I  remembered 
then  and  I  have  never  forgotten  what  a  business  man  in 
a  Nebraska  town  said  to  me  when  I  was  a  schoolman  of 
but  little  experience.  This  business  man  had  taken  a 
boy  who  had  graduated  from  our  high  school  the  year 
before  into  his  office,  and  had  placed  him  where  he 
handled  much  small  change  in  a  way  that  from  day  to 
day  no  one  kept  close  account  of  it.  After  a  number  of 
months,  this  business  man  came  upon  positive  evidence 
that  the  boy  was  taking  of  this  money  and  spending  it. 
The  boy  lost  his  position.  This  man  said  to  me  that 
while  he  let  the  boy  out  of  a  job,  he  felt  that  he  him- 
self had  not  done  right  by  the  boy  in  placing  him 
just  at  the  uncertain  time  of  the  boy's  life,  where  it 
was  easy  for  him  to  steal;  and  he  said  further  that  he 
thought  many,  many  boys  were  ruined  by  business  men 
in  placing  them  as  he  had  placed  this  boy,  where  no  one 


STEALING  101 

could  know  definitely,  at  the  close  of  each  day,  the  exact 
amount  of  money  for  which  the  boy  should  be  held  ac- 
countable; that  it  was  a  great  sin  against  boys  to  put 
them  where  they  would  be  tempted  with  no  protection 
to  hold  them  from  yielding.  The  very  fact  that  the  boy 
knows  that  every  penny  that  passes  through  his  hands 
can  be  traced  up  and  will  be  each  day,  is  a  wonderful 
protection  to  him.  It  keeps  temptation  out  of  his  mind. 

One  of  my  Bloomington  business  men  friends  had 
this  experience  with  a  boy  in  his  employ.  This  was 
fifteen  years  ago.  He  was  paying  the  boy  a  fair  salary 
for  the  work  he  was  doing,  a  good  salary  for  a  boy  in 
his  early  "teens."  One  day,  he  accidentally  learned 
that  the  boy  had  a  weekly  increasing  deposit  at  one  of 
the  banks.  The  amount  of  the  deposit  was  so  large  that 
it  was  an  impossibility  for  the  boy  to  have  accumulated 
it  out  of  his  weekly  earnings  and  he  had  no  other  source 
of  money.  Up  to  this  time,  the  boy  had  not  been  sus- 
pected of  dishonesty,  but  now  he  was  under  suspicion. 
He  was  carefully  watched,  and  found  depositing  money 
that  had  been  marked  and  put  into  the  channels  in  the 
business  where  it  would  pass  through  his  hands;  but 
it  failed  to  appear  after  reaching  him,  and  a  little  later 
he  gave  it  in  for  deposit  at  the  bank. 

The  next  morning  after  he  had  deposited  marked 
money,  my  friend,  the  head  of  the  firm,  decided  that  as 
he  now  had  the  evidence  in  good  shape,  he  would  not 
delay,  but  send  or  ask  the  judge  to  commit  the  boy  to 
the  State  Reformatory.  Thus  far  he  had  said  nothing 
to  the  boy  or  to  his  people,  but  now  he  called  the  boy 
to  the  office  and  asked  him  to  go  over  to  the  courthouse 
with  him.  The  courthouse  was  just  across  the  street. 
His  intention  was  to  take  the  boy  into  the  judge's  office 
to  lay  the  case  before  the  judge,  and  ask  that  the  boy 


102-  IOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

be  sent  to  the  reformatory.  But  after  going  to  the 
courthouse,  he  began  to  think:  "I'm  a  Christian  man; 
this  boy  has  done  wrong.  Is  it  right  for  me  to  send  him 
to  an  institution  where  he  will  be  associated  with  many 
of  the  worst  boys  of  the  state,  without  trying  myself 
to  help  him  to  do  right;  am  I  not  taking  advantage  of 
the  boy;  I  put  him  where  he  was  tempted;  ought  I  not 
to  help  him  now  that  he  has  done  wrong?" 

He  turned  about  and  said  to  the  boy:  "Come  on, 
we'll  go  back  to  the  office."  He  took  him  to  his  private 
office ;  told  him  all  that  he  knew  of  his  taking  the  money ; 
that  he  had  gone  with  him  to  the  courthouse  to  ask  the 
judge  to  send  him  to  the  reformatory;  but  that  he  could 
not  feel  he  would  be  doing  right  not  to  give  him  a 
chance. 

It  was  not  now  the  money  that  concerned  this  man, 
but  it  was  the  saving  of  this  boy,  that  deeply  stirred  his 
soul.  He  felt  he  must  save  the  boy. 

The  boy  told  him  how  day  after  day  for  months  he 
had  been  taking  out  the  money  and  depositing  it  in  two 
of  the  banks.  He  had  two  bank  accounts  instead  of  one. 
He,  with  the  help  of  the  business  man,  made  an  estimate 
of  what  he  had  taken.  The  boy  turned  over  his  deposits 
and  promised  to  pay  a  certain  amount  each  week  till  all 
lie  had  taken  was  paid  back. 

The  business  man  said  to  him  that  he  would  show 
his  faith  in  him  by  continuing  him  in  his  position,  and 
would  befriend  him  in  every  possible  way;  but  said  he, 
"If  I  find  I  cannot  help  you  to  do  right,  if  I  find  you 
taking  money  again,  then  I  shall  feel  it  is  my  duty  to 
you  to  ask  that  you  be  sent  to  the  State  Reformatory." 

That  boy  never  again  betrayed  the  confidence  placed 
in  him,  and  became  one  of  the  most  trustworthy  and 
valuable  men  in  the  employ  of  that  firm. 


STEALING  103 

These  cases,  and  other  like  ones,  and  my  belief  that 
a  boy  ought  not  to  be  tempted  at  this  unsettled  time  of 
life  by  being  placed  where  there  is  too  great  responsi- 
bility, or  where  he  handles  money  in  a  somewhat  loose 
way,  except  under  the  very  closest,  most  careful  super- 
vision, made  me  feel  that  I  would  rather  Omar  would 
fail  of  appointment  to  a  place  in  this  store  than  to  see 
him  put  where  he  would  be  too  strongly  tempted  to  take 
what  did  not  belong  to  him.  "How  oft  the  sight  of 
means  to  do  ill  deeds  makes  ill  deeds  done"  is  especially 
true  of  some  boys. 

Omar  was  given  the  position  in  the  store  under  the 
best  of  conditions.  That  was  eight  or  nine  years  ago. 
He  has  made  good,  and  today  stands  high  with  the  firm. 

********* 

One  day  the  high  school  principal  reported  to  me 
that  one  of  the  high  school  girls  had  had  a  beautiful 
pair  of  gloves  taken  from  her  cloak  pockets  in  the 
cloak-room  a  few  days  before  and  that  she  had  the  day 

before   found   another    girl,   Nellie   M ,   wearing 

them ;  that  the  gloves  in  the  possession  of  Nellie  M 

were  the  ones  that  had  been  taken  from  the  cloak 
pockets;  that  after  Nellie  M—  -  had  gone  to  her 
first  recitation  that  morning,  he  had  taken  the  gloves 

from  where  Nellie  M had  placed  them,  and  had 

found  them  marked  on  the  inside  just  as  the  girl  who 
had  lost  her  gloves  claimed  they  were.  The  loser  of 
the  gloves  also  claimed  that  her  father  had  purchased 
the  gloves  in  an  eastern  city  and  that  there  were  no 
gloves  of  the  kind  in  any  store  in  our  city;  that  to 
make  sure  this  last  statement  as  to  there  being  no  other 
gloves  like  them  in  the  city,  he  had  taken  the  gloves  to 
every  store  carrying  gloves  in  Bloomington,  and  had 


104  YOUE  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

learned  that  no  gloves  of  the  kind  had  been  sold  in  the 
city,  and  that  no  store  had  them  in  stock. 

The  principal  had,  so  it  seemed  to  me,  taken  every 
precaution  against  accusing  the  girl  unjustly  by  care- 
fully examining  every  claim  made  by  the  girl  who  said 
the  gloves  were  hers.  The  next  step  was  for  him  to 
talk  with  Nellie  M—  — .  The  principal  wished  to  have 
a  woman  present  when  he  talked  with  her  about  the 

gloves,  so  Miss ,  secretary  in  the  superintendent's 

office,  was  asked  to  be  present. 

The  principal  stated  to  Nellie  M that  one  of 

the  girls  had  made  the  complaint  that  her  gloves  had 
been  taken  from  her  cloak  pockets  in  the  cloak-room, 
and  that  Nellie  was  wearing  them  to  school;  that  it 
would  be  for  her  to  tell  how  they  came  to  be  in  her  pos- 
session if  they  were  hers,  and  to  establish  her  right  to 
them. 

She  immediately  said  she  had  bought  them  at  a  cer- 
tain store  in  the  city  and  that  they  were  her  own  gloves 
and  belonged  to  no  one  else. 

The  principal  then  said  that  the  store  where  she  said 
she  had  bought  them  had  told  him  that  day  that  they 
had  never  carried  that  kind  of  glove  in  stock,  so  had 
never  sold  them;  that  every  glove  store  in  the  city  had 
made  a  like  statement. 

After  a  little  while,  she  said  that  she  had  taken  the 
gloves  from  the  other  girl's  cloak-pockets.  She  cried 
and  cried,  and  asked  if  the  whole  school  would  have  to 
know  it.  The  principal  replied :  "No,  Nellie,  the  super- 
intendent, the  secretary  present,  and  myself,  are  the 
only  ones  of  the  high  school  who  will  know  this,  so  long 
as  you  do  right  and  take  nothing  that  belongs  to  some 
one  else." 


STEALING  105 

I  can't  make  you  understand  how  kindly  the  prin- 
cipal talked  to  her,  for  he  was  deeply  touched  with  pity 
that  she  should  yield  to  temptation  and  take  the  gloves. 
He  knew  too  that  she  was  almost  homeless,  and  had  but 
little  except  what  was  given  her  in  charity. 

A  short  time  after,  in  talking  with  her  former  ele- 
mentary school  principal,  who  had  always  been  deeply 
interested  in  Nellie,  I  told  her  of  the  gloves. 

She  replied:  "I'm  not  surprised,  but  I'm  very, 
very  sorry  for  Nellie.  Poor  girl !  She  took  things  when 
she  was  in  our  school,  and  I  talked  with  her  and  did 
everything  I  could,  but  the  disposition  to  take  things 
that  did  not  belong  to  her  still  clung  to  her.  Poor 
girl,  she  has  always  craved  beautiful  things  and  has 
never  had  anything  to  satisfy  her  craving.  It  is  hard; 
her  parents  dead,  an  imbecile  sister  and  the  aunt  with 
whom  they  make  their  home,  are  her  only  people.  The 
aunt  cannot  do  anything  more  than  give  them  a  place 
to  stay,  for  she  has  nothing.  Nellie's  ambition  is  to  be 
a  teacher,  that  she  may  be  able  to  take  care  of  her 
sister.  She  is  in  school  through  the  kindness  of  friends. 
It  does  seem  too  bad  that  her  love  for  beautiful  things 
has  never  had  anything  beautiful  to  satisfy  it.  My 
heart  aches  for  the  child,  yet  it  seems  we  are  all  helpless 
when  we  try  to  do  anything  for  her.  Poor  girl!" 

At  the  close  of  the  term,  Nellie  dropped  out  of 
school.  Two  or  three  years  later,  I  was  surprised  to 
see  her  acting  as  cashier  in  one  of  our  city  stores.  I 
feared  and  feared  greatly,  but  said  nothing.  I  did  not 
know  the  man  who  had  employed  her  sufficiently  well 
to  know  how  to  talk  with  him  confidentially  about  her. 
I  did  not  wish  to  do  her  harm  by  arousing  suspicion  in 
his  mind,  if  she  had  changed,  and  was  worthy  the  trust 
he  was  placing  in  her.  When  taking  things  is  only  an 


106  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

outcropping  of  the  ferment  of  adolescence,  and  it  is  not 
fixed  into  a  habit  by  unfortunate  circumstances  sur- 
rounding the  youth,  it  is  apt  to  fade  out,  leaving  nothing 
of  dishonesty  to  mar  the  after  life.  For  this  reason,  it 
sometimes  does  great  harm  to  the  young  person  for 
someone  to  arouse  suspicion  in  the  employer's  mind  as 
to  the  honesty  of  an  employee,  and  causes  him  to  let  out 
of  his  service  one  who  is  most  worthy  his  confidence. 

But  after  a  few  months,  Nellie  lost  her  position.  A 
friend  of  Nellie's  asked  the  proprietor  of  the  store  why 
he  had  given  the  position  Nellie  had  held  to  another. 
He  replied  that  Nellie  was  always  short  in  her  cash  ac- 
count, and  that  while  he  had  never  caught  her  in  any- 
thing dishonest,  as  soon  as  he  put  another  person  into 
the  place,  there  was  no  further  trouble  with  the  cash 
account. 


I  have  always  tried  to  be  strictly  honest  and  fair 
when  called  upon  to  recommend  a  young  man  or  young 
woman  for  a  position.  Sometimes  in  my  frankness  I 
have  been  told  that  I  surely  was  a  little  too  careful ;  but 
later  on  even  these  cases  proved  me  at  least  on  the  safe 
side. 

A  friend  of  mine,  Mr.  Mains,  came  to  me  one  day 
and  told  me  of  his  plans  to  open  a  branch  store  in  a 
new  addition  to  the  city  where  he  was  then  living,  and 
asked  me  what  I  thought  of  his  putting  a  certain  former 

schoolboy  of  ours,  Nelson  R in  full  charge  of  the 

store.  Without  waiting  for  my  answer,  he  proceeded 
to  tell  me  that  he  had  had  him  in  his  employ  for  several 
months  and  was  greatly  pleased  with  the  way  he  did 
things;  that  he  was  a  regular  pusher  in  the  business 
and  seemed  a  first-class  man  to  run  the  branch  store. 


STEALING  107 

Then  he  asked  me  if  I  would  recommend  Nelson  for  the 
place ;  if  I  thought  it  safe  to  place  him  where  he  would 
have  everything  in  his  hands. 

I  saw  my  friend's  heart  was  set  on  giving  Nelson, 
he  was  scarcely  more  than  a  boy,  the  place  but  that  he 
would  feel  just  a  little  easier  if  he  could  have  my  word 
favoring  it.  But  I  could  not  give  him  that  word.  I 
replied  that  I  was  pleased  to  know  Nelson  was  doing  so 
well,  and  wished  him  all  the  good  that  could  come  to 
him,  but  that  I  could  not  honestly  recommend  him  to  a 
position  of  so  great  trust  and  responsibility;  that  I  did 
not  think  it  best  for  Nelson  nor  best  for  my  friend. 

However,  as  I  have  said,  my  friend's  heart  was  set 
on  giving  the  young  man  the  position,  so  he  placed  him 
in  charge  of  the  store. 

For  more  than  a  year  the  business  venture  went 
well.  Nelson  was  a  " hustler"  there  was  no  question  of 
that.  He  made  things  move. 

At  the  close  of  the  first  year  my  friend  said  to  me 
that  I  had  placed  too  little  confidence  in  the  young  man. 
"Why,"  said  he,  "Nelson  is  doing  a  wonderful  business 
in  our  branch  store.  He  is  the  ablest  and  most  trust- 
worthy man  I've  ever  had  in  my  employ.  This  one  year 
has  proved  to  me  that  he  can  run  the  business  as  well 
as  I  could  do  it  myself,  so  I  'm  giving  him  a  free  hand. ' ' 

The  next  year  my  friend  was  sick  for  several  months. 
When  he  was  again  able  to  look  after  his  business,  he 
found  that  this  "trusted  young"  man  had  unmercifully 
robbed  him,  and  had  so  involved  him  that  he  came  near 
losing  not  only  the  branch  store,  but  all  his  property. 

Shortly  after  Mr.  Mains  discovered  how  he  had  been 
robbed,  he  and  his  wife  were  in  our  city,  and  called  at 
my  office.  They  both  were  greatly  distressed,  for  they 
then  feared  they  might  lose  all  their  property.  They 


108  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

said  to  me :  ' l  Your  fears  were  well  founded,  we  should 
have  listened  to  you,  but  Nelson  had  sort  of  blinded  us, 
so  that  we  thought  it  was  just  a  case  of  a  school 
teacher's  letting  his  prejudice  for  some  past  wrong  of 
the  boy  affect  his  judgment,  thus  interfering  with  the 
boy's  advancement." 

Why  had  I  felt  it  would  be  unsafe  to  give  Nelson  the 
position?  I  will  tell  you  as  I  had  told  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Mains.  The  boy  had  caused  us  no  trouble  of  any  kind 
in  school;  he  learned  easily,  and  was  always  obliging 
and  of  pleasant  manners;  and  his  father  was  a  warm 
personal  friend  of  mine.  But  I  knew  the  boy  was  un- 
truthful; that  he  had  helped  to  rob  one  or  two  stores; 
that  out  of  consideration  for  his  parents,  very  little  had 
been  said  publicly  about  his  store-robbing.  This  was 
while  he  was  a  scholar  in  the  high  school.  I  knew,  too, 
how  little  consideration  he  had  for  his  father's  wishes. 
These  things  were  not  characteristic  of  him  for  a  year 
or  two  only  of  his  adolescent  life,  but  had  been  a  part  of 
him  for  a  number  of  years,  even  before  his  adolescent 
years,  so  that  while  these  characteristics  might  disap- 
pear as  the  years  of  adolescence  were  passed,  still  for 
the  safety  of  the  boy  and  of  all,  I  felt  it  would  be  better 
not  to  tempt  him  too  greatly,  but  to  hold  him  where  his 
work  would  be  so  closely  supervised  that  there  could 
be  little  temptation  to  further  wrong-doing ;  to  hold  him 
until  his  own  faith  in  his  ability  to  do  right  had  be- 
come strong,  and  the  habit  of  honesty  somewhat  fixed. 

********* 

One  Friday  morning,  Mr.  Smith,  the  head  of  the 
manual  training  work  in  the  high  school  reported  to  the 
high  school  principal  that  one  drawing-board  and  three 
sets  of  drawing-tools  had  been  taken  from  one  of  the 


STEALING  109 

mechanical  drawing  rooms;  that  the  drawing  sets  cost 
$9  a  set.  The  classes  had  used  them  the  fore-noon  of  the 
day  before.  Mr*  Smith  was  the  only  one  who  carried 
a  key  to  the  room,  and  he  still  had  the  key  in  his  pos- 
session. He  had  locked  the  room  the  day  before  at  the 
close  of  his  class  work,  and  it  was  still  locked  when  he 
went  to  meet  his  classes  on  Friday  morning.  The  room 
was  on  the  third  floor,  the  windows  were  so  placed  that 
they  could  not  be  reached  from  the  outside  except  by  a 
ladder  reaching  to  the  third  floor.  The  question  was, 
Who  took  the  board  and  drawing  tools,  and  how  did  he 
get  into  the  drawing-room? 

Monday  morning  a  package  delivery  boy  from  the 
Western  Union  Telegraph  Company  delivered  the  draw- 
ing-board at  the  principal's  office.  The  principal  asked 
him  where  he  had  gotten  the  board.  The  boy  replied 
that  a  call  had  come  to  the  Western  Union  office  asking 
that  a  boy  be  sent  to  a  certain  number  on  Front  Street 
for  a  package  to  be  delivered  at  the  high  school;  that 
he  was  sent  to  get  the  package  and  deliver  it;  that 
when  he  got  to  the  Front  Street  number,  he  found  a  boy, 
waiting  for  him;  that  the  boy  paid  him  fifteen  cents 
to  bring  the  board  to  the  high  school.  When  asked  if 
he  knew  the  boy  he  said  that  he  did  not,  and  had  never 
seen  him  before.  When  asked  as  to  how  old  the  boy 
appeared  to  be,  he  said  that  the  boy  had  told  him  to 
tell  the  principal  that  a  young  man  about  seventeen 
years  old  had  given  him  the  board,  but  the  delivery  boy 
said  he  did  not  think  the  boy  was  more  than  fifteen. 

The  principal  called  up  the  Western  Union  office 
and  the  manager  there  confirmed  what  the  delivery  boy 
had  said  about  the  call  for  a  delivery  boy  to  be  sent  to 
the  number  on  Front  Street. 


110  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

Nothing  more  could  be  learned  about  the  theft  until 
the  next  Monday  morning,  when  a  high  school  boy  re- 
ported that  he  had  seen  the  delivery  boy  at  Sunday 
School  the  day  before  and  that  the  delivery  boy  had 
told  him  of  meeting  the  boy  who  had  had  the  board  Sat- 
urday afternoon,  and  that  he  had  looked  at  him  closely 
and  would  know  him  if  he  should  see  him  in  the  high 
school. 

The  delivery  boy  was  called  to  the  high  school.  He 
said  to  the  high  school  principal  and  superintendent 
that  he  had  met  the  boy  who  had  given  him  the  board 
to  deliver  Saturday  afternoon,  and  that  the  boy  had 
wanted  to  know  if  the  police  had  asked  him  anything 
about  the  board,  and  had  added:  "If  the  police  do  ask 
you  about  me  and  the  board,  don't  tell  them  anything, 
and  I'll  give  you  some  more  money." 

After  talking  with  the  delivery  boy,  we  sent  him 
for  a  little  visit  to  the  drawing  room  to  see  if  he  could 
identify  the  boy  who  had  given  him  the  board.  He  re- 
mained in  the  room  but  a  few  minutes.  When  he  came 
out  he  said:  "The  boy  at  desk  No.  2,  in  the  second 
row  is  the  boy  who  gave  me  the  board  to  deliver."  I 
immediately  called  the  boy  designated  into  the  corridor. 
The  delivery  boy  said:  "Yes,  he  is  the  boy  who  gave 
me  the  board.  He  is  the  boy." 

I  then  asked  the  boy,  Melvin  M how  he  had 

gotten  the  board  out  of  the  drawing-room.  He  replied 
that  he  was  permitted  to  do  some  extra  work  in  the 
west  drawing-room  of  afternoons,  and  that  on  the  day  he 
took  the  board  he  had  needed  some  drawing-paper  and 
had  asked  the  teacher  to  let  him  go  to  his  desk  in  the 
east  drawing-room  to  get  it;  that  the  teacher  let  him 
have  the  key  to  the  east  room,  that  while  he  was  getting 
the  paper  he  took  the  board,  then  hid  it  behind  his 


STEALING  111 

clothes  locker  until  school  was  out  and  then  slipped  it 
home. 

Then  I  asked:  "What  have  you  done  with  the 
drawing  sets?" 

He  replied:  "I  did  not  take  the  drawing  sets,  I 
don't  know  anything  about  them." 

The  drawing  teacher  when  told  what  Melvin  had 
said,  remembered  that  he  had  loaned  the  boy  the  key  to 
get  into  the  east  room  for  drawing  paper  that  afternoon. 

We  did  not  bluff  Melvin  by  trying  to  make  him 
think  that  we  knew  he  had  taken  the  drawing  instru- 
ments. We  said  that  the  fact  that  he  had  taken  the 
drawing  board  at  the  time  the  instruments  disappeared 
and  also  the  fact  that  he  was  the  only  one  who  had  had 
access  to  the  room,  made  it  look  very  much  like  he  had 
taken  the  instruments. 

He  replied  when  this  statement  was  made:  "I  did 
not  take  the  instruments,  I  know  nothing  about  them." 

We  were  waiting  a  few  days,  hoping  to  find  some 
clue  that  would  help  us  to  get  the  facts  about  the  in- 
struments, when  one  afternoon  the  chief  of  police 
'phoned  my  office  asking  me,  if  possible,  to  come  over 
to  police  headquarters  at  once.  I  reported  at  police 
headquarters  immediately,  not  knowing  why  I  had  been 
called;  but  I  soon  found  out  that  Melvin,  the  boy  who 
had  taken  the  drawing  board,  was  the  center  of  in- 
terest. 

But  before  finishing  this  part  of  the  story  I  must 
tell  you  something  of  the  history  of  the  boy  before  the 
time  of  his  taking  the  drawing-board. 

He  came  to  our  school  in  the  fifth  grade.  He  had 
been  in  an  excellent  school  before  he  came  to  our  school. 
His  transfer  showed  a  fair  record  in  scholarship  and  de- 
portment. After  entering  our  fifth  grade,  he  continued 


112  YOUK  PROBLEMS  AXD  MINE 

to  make  about  the  same  standing  he  had  previously 
made. 

He  was  a  fine-looking  boy,  of  sturdy  physique,  with 
an  expressive  intelligent-looking  face,  well  dressed,  and 
gentlemanly  in  manner.  He,  in  fact,  was  to  a  person 
who  did  not  know  him,  one  of  the  most  attractive-look- 
ing boys  in  the  school. 

He  had  not  been  a  pupil  in  our  school  long  when  one 
noon  he  brought  to  school  some  property  that  had  so 
evidently  been  taken  from  one  of  the  stores  in  the  city 
that  his  teacher  reported  the  matter  to  her  principal. 
The  principal,  after  examining  the  goods  in  the  boy's 
possession  and  talking  with  him,  phoned  the  mother, 
who  lived  nearby,  asking  her  to  come  to  the  office,  as  she 
wished  to  talk  with  her  about  her  boy.  The  mother  was 
at  the  principal's  office  in  a  very  few  minutes,  and  soon 
had  the  boy's  confession  that  he  had  taken  goods  from 
a  certain  store.  The  mother  accompanied  by  the  boy, 
returned  the  property  to  the  store  from  which  the  boy 
had  taken  it.  More  than  once  this  same  thing  occurred 
while  he  was  in  our  elementary  school.  He  was  only  in 
the  sixth  grade  when  the  police  came  to  know  him 
through  his  frequent  thefts.  His  eighth  grade  year  he 
spent  in  a  school  in  another  city  where  he  was  living 
with  his  father.  After  living  with  his  father  the  year, 
he  returned  to  live  in  Bloomington  and  in  September 
entered  our  high  school. 

The  high  school  principal  and  teachers  knew  noth- 
ing of  him  and  they  were  not  enlightened  at  that  time. 
His  past  was  dead  unless  he  himself  should  bring  it  to 
life. 

He  was  now  fifteen  years  of  age,  but  had  not  yet 
entered  the  stage  of  puberty.  He  was  physically  as 
much  a  boy  as  he  was  at  eleven  years  of  age.  He  was 


STEALING  113 

a  beautiful  boy  to  look  at,  a  good  reciter,  and  of  pleas- 
ing manners  and  so  made  a  fine  impression  on  the  high 
school  teachers  to  whose  classes  he  was  assigned.  I 
alone  knew  that  he  had  a  bad  record  at  police  head- 
quarters, but  kept  this  fact  to  "myself . 

This  is  Melvin's  history  so  far  as  I  knew  it  up  to 
the  time  he  became  involved  in  the  drawing  board 
trouble  at  the  high  school. 

Now  I  return  to  police  headquarters  to  continue  my 
story.  First,  we  had  notified  the  police  of  the  disap- 
pearance of  the  drawing  instruments,  hoping  their  de- 
tectives might  happen  on  some  trace  of  the  instruments. 
Now  I'll  move  on  to  the  close  with  my  story. 

The  chief  of  police  said  to  me  that  they  had  Melvin 

M in  another  room,  and  were  holding  him  for 

robbing  a  safe  in  a  store;  that  he  had  gone  into  the 
store  in  daytime  the  day  before,  on  pretense  of  using  the 
phone  which  was  in  the  rear  part  of  the  store  not  far 
from  the  safe;  that  he  had  taken  from  the  safe  thirty 
dollars  and  had  lost  most  of  it  playing  craps. 

He  said  further:  "We  thought  possibly  if  you 
would  come  over  while  he  is  held  for  this,  we  might  find 
out  something  about  the  drawing  instruments;  but  he 
is  the  most  hardened  boy  offender  I  have  ever  met;  he 
has  no  feelings  about  wrongdoing;  he  would  as  soon  be 
locked  up  in  jail  and  sleep  there  as  to  be  out,  so  far  as 
anyone  can  judge  from  his  actions ;  his  father  has  been 
here  for  an  hour  talking  with  him;  but  nothing  his 
father  says  has  any  effect  whatever  on  him." 

"We  then  went  into  the  police  court-room  where 
Melvin  and  his  father  and  others  were.  Melvin  looked 
at  me  and  smiled  as  pleasantly  and  unconcerned  as  if  he 
were  sitting  in  the  high  school  assembly  room  waiting  in 
happy  anticipation  for  the  opening  act  of  some  school 


114  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

play  for  which  the  curtain  might  be  drawn  at  any 
minute. 

We  learned  nothing  about  the  instruments  from  him. 
If  he  knew  where  they  were,  he  revealed  nothing. 

The  father  took  Melvin  with  him  to  live  in  another 
city.  His  history  since  he  left  Bloomington  is  unknown 
to  me. 

Melvin  was  as  I  have  said,  physically  as  much  a  boy 
at  fifteen  years  of  age  as  he  was  at  eleven.  At  fifteen, 
physically,  he  had  not  passed  the  threshold  of  youth. 
Why  the  changes  of  puberty  were  so  long  delayed  in  his 
case  I  know  not.  As  he  was  out  of  the  ordinary  in  this 
respect  in  his  physical  development,  may  it  not  be  that 
some  physical  defect  lies  at  the  basis  of  his  moral  de- 
linquency? May  it  not  be  that  that  part  of  the  brain 
through  which  the  soul  functions  in  moral  perceptions 
is  defective?  I  only  ask  the  question. 

*****#*** 

Mr.  L ,  President  of  one  of  our  banks,  called 

on  me  just  after  the  close  of  the  school  term  one  year  to 
look  up  the  record  of  one  of  the  boys  who  had  just 
graduated  saying:  "If  his  record  shows  up  well,  I'd 
like  to  take  him  into  our  bank.  I  hope  you  will,  as  I 
know  from  the  past  you  will,  give  me  a  full  account  of 
him,  for  if  he  is  of  the  right  stripe,  I  'm  anxious  to  give 
him  the  position;  but  it  would  be  a  serious  mistake  for 
me  to  put  him  into  the  place  if  he  is  not  all  right.  Now 
tell  me  what  you  know  about  him,  please." 

I  replied:  "Samuel  has  an  unusually  fine  mind; 
he  stands  in  scholarship  in  the  highest  fourth  in  his 
class  and  with  little  effort.  If  he  had  applied  himself 
as  some  members  of  the  class  did  the  past  school  year, 
he  could  have  stood  at  the  very  head;  but  he  did  not 


STEALING  115 

care  to  do  it.  Still  to  rank  in  scholarship  in  the  best 
fourth  of  his  class,  is  an  honor.  He  is  something  of  a 
leader  among  the  school  boys  and  girls,  and  is  well  liked 
by  all  scholars  and  teachers.  His  deportment  in  school 
all  the  years  he  has  been  with  us  has  been  good ;  but  at 
the  early  part  of  the  school  year  just  closed,  I  learned 
he  was  becoming  quite  a  gambler  to  the  extent  that  he 
was  bragging  a  little  unguardedly  of  the  money  he  was 
winning.  He  was  spending  considerable  time  of  eve- 
nings in  some  of  the  'called'  gambling  places  of  the 
city.  My  information  came  so  direct  that  I  could  not 
question  it,  so  I  called  Samuel  into  my  office  and  told 
him  what  I  had  heard,  giving  the  facts  as  they  had  been 
given  to  me. ' ' 

"He  made  no  denial  of  them,  but  said  that  he  would 
not  engage  in  the  practice  any  more. ' ' 

"I  said  to  him:  'You  are  a  senior,  and  nothing 
should  come  up  to  prevent  your  graduating  next  June; 
but  Sam,'  said  I,  'if  I  should  learn  that  you  still  engage 
in  gambling  after  our  conference  today,  I  will  refuse  to 
sign  your  diploma.  The  diploma  certifies  that  the 
bearer  is  of  good  moral  character.  I  could  not  put  my 
name  to  a  diploma  for  you  if  I  know  of  your  gambling 
again.'  ' 

"He  gave  me  his  word  that  that  kind  of  work  was 
forever  past  with  him.  From  that  day  on  to  the  close 
of  the  year  I  never  knew  of  his  gambling." 

Mr.  L then  said:  "He  has  touched  the  one 

thing  I  fear  above  all  others  in  an  employee  of  the  bank. 
Boys  may  go  far  wrong  in  some  ways  and  yet  be  strong 
in  honesty ;  but  the  boy  or  young  nWn  who  gambles  is 
taking  other  peoples'  money  for  nothing,  and  should 
never  be  put  where  he  handles  other  peoples'  money  as 


116  YOUE  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

in  a  bank.     To  my  mind,  gambling  in  young  men  is  a 
most  difficult  habit  to  overcome. 

"Much  as  I  had  hoped  to  give  him  the  place,  I  can- 
not do  it." 


One  morning,  a  number  of  years  ago,  a  hardware 
merchant  of  the  city  called  at  my  office  to  make  in- 
quiry about  two  high  school  boys  who  were  applicants 
for  a  position  in  his  store.  He  explained  that  he  had 
put  an  advertisement  in  the  paper,  and  two  boys  had 
applied  in  answer  to  the  notice.  "From  the  character 
of  the  letters,"  said  he,  "I  think  they  are  your  school 
boys.  One  is  a  little  older  than  I  care  to  put  into  the 
place." 

I  read  the  letters  of  application,  and  replied:  "Yes, 
they  are  both  our  boys.  The  younger  of  the  two  is  now 
in  the  manual  training  shop;  you  can  speak  to  him  if 
you  wish." 

He  then  said :  '  '  For  some  time,  we  have  been  having 
trouble  with  the  boys  we  have  had  in  the  store.  They 
have  been  continually  tapping  the  till.  For  some  reason, 
we  have  not  been  able  to  guard  sufficiently  well  to  keep 
them  from  taking  money  out  of  the  money-drawer.  I 
have  just  let  a  boy  go  because  he  was  stealing  from  us. 
I  thought  it  might  make  a  change  for  the  better  to  come 
to  you  for  your  recommendation  of  the  next  boy  we 
employ." 

I  replied:  "This  younger  boy  Mack  has  always 
been  honest  and  straightforward  in  all  his  school  life. 
He  is  studious  and  painstaking  in  his  school  work,  quiet 
and  manly  in  his  bearing.  We  consider  him  a  very 
trustworthy  boy,  but  he  is  only  a  boy.  I  will  go  with 
you  to  the  shop.  I  will  stop  at  his  bench  and  talk  with 


STEALING  117 

him  a  moment.  If  you  like  his  looks,  you  can  step  up 
to  us  and  I  will  introduce  you.  Then  you  can  talk  with 
him  if  you  wish." 

He  liked  the  boy's  looks;  I  introduced  them.  Mr. 

N spoke  to  him  of  his  letter,  and  offered  him  the 

position. 

Mack  replied  that  he  would  like  very  much  to  accept 
his  offer  but  must  first  talk  with  his  father.  "My 
father  is  a  traveling  man,"  said  Mack,  "and  will  be 
home  within  the  next  day  or  two.  Could  you  hold  the 
place  open  till  I  talk  with  father?" 

Mr.  N replied:  "Yes,  let  me  hear  from  you 

as  soon  as  your  father  and  you  have  talked  it  over.  I 
hope  he  will  favor  your  taking  the  place." 

The  boy's  father  gave  his  consent,  and  Mack  became 
a  valuable  man  to  that  firm.  Several  years  after,  in 

talking  with  Mr.  N he  said:  "Mack  has  always 

been  honest  and  attentive  to  business,  and  he  is  the 
ablest  stock  man  we  have  ever  had  in  our  employ." 

*####*#*# 

I  have  said  so  much  about  safe-guarding  scholars 
who  handle  money  or  are  placed  in  unusually  re- 
sponsible positions,  that  one  might  be  led  to  infer  that  I 
think  that  all  boys  and  girls  at  this  time  of  life  are 
likely  to  become  dishonest  when  handling  money  in  of- 
fices and  stores,  unless  there  is  a  daily  checking  up  plan 
that  easily  discloses  the  slightest  irregularity.  Let  me 
say  plainly  that  I  do  not  hold  any  such  views.  I  be- 
lieve there  are  boys  and  girls,  unlimited  numbers  of 
them,  most  of  the  boys  and  girls  in  your  school,  most 
of  them  that  have  been  known  to  me,  who  would  suffer 
the  loss  of  their  right  hands  rather  than  to  take  money 
that  did  not  belong  to  them.  But  while  this  is  true,  still 


118  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

there  may  be  some  who  are  open  to  temptation.  You 
and  I  cannot  always  tell  who  they  are,  but  all  of  us  who 
have  lived  for  a  number  of  years  with  school  boys  and 
girls  know  this  is  true,  and  knowing  it,  we  are  not  re- 
flecting on  the  quality  of  honesty  of  those  who  would 
be  strictly  honest  under  all  conditions,  nor  are  we  mis- 
trusting them,  when  we  say  the  safe  thing  for  all  boys 
and  girls  when  taking  their  places  in  offices,  stores,  and 
business  life,  is  to  guard  them;  possibly,  a  better  term 
is  to  "protect  them,"  by  the  employers'  reducing  to  a 
minimum  the  opportunities  for  dishonesty.  Too  many 
business  men  have  ignorantly  trusted  boys  and  girls 
and  so  have  wronged  them  and  destroyed  their  own 
faith  in  youth ;  while  an  intelligent  trust,  placed  in  these 
same  boys  and  girls,  would  have  saved  them  from  drift- 
ing into  the  wrong  class  and  would  have  kept  the  em- 
ployers' faith  in  youth  strong. 

********* 

Many  homes  fail  to  practice  honesty  in  dealing  with 
their  children.  These  children's  first  lessons  in  honesty 
at  all  times  are  learned,  if  learned  at  all,  at  school. 

One  morning  several  years  ago,  as  I  was  on  my  way 
to  my  office,  I  fell  in  with  the  editor  of  one  of  our  daily 

papers,  Mr.  B .  He  immediately  said:  "Mr. 

Stableton,  I've  been  wondering  what  more  the  public 
schools  could  do  to  teach  honesty?  I  am  shocked  by 
reading  of  the  great  number  of  crimes  committed  by 
young  men  and  boys  not  out  of  their  teens." 

I  replied:  "Mr.  B ,  we  do  try  pretty  hard  to 

teach  honesty,  but  no  doubt  we  should  accomplish  more 
than  we  do." 

"Oh,  Mr.  Stableton,  I  know  you  do.  I'm  not  crit- 
icising at  all,  but  the  number  of  youthful  criminals  is 
appalling. ' ' 


STEALING  119 

"We  school  people  need  help,"  said  I,  "Please  tell 
me  what  you  would  do  in  the  following  case : 

"At  the  opening  of  each  semester,  we  give  to  each 
child  in  the  first  primary  grade,  an  enrollment  slip  to 
take  home  to  be  signed  by  one  of  the  parents  and  re- 
turned to  the  teacher.  On  this  slip  the  parent  is  asked 
to  state  the  day,  the  month,  and  the  year  the  child  was 
born.  The  teacher  examines  these  cards  when  returned, 
and  from  the  date  of  birth  determines  whether  or  not 
the  child  is  of  school  age.  The  state  law  says  children 
are  of  school  age  when  they  are  six  years  of  age.  Our 
board  of  education,  in  order  to  have  a  better  classifi- 
cation, gives  parents  whose  children  will  be  six  years  of 
age  by  the  first  day  of  December,  the  privilege  of  en- 
tering them  in  September ;  and  for  the  second  semester, 
a  like  privilege  is  extended. 

"In  examining  the  returned  enrollment  cards,  it 
not  infrequently  happens  that  the  teacher  discovers  that 
some  of  the  children  are  as  much  as  a  year  under  school 
age.  All  are  returned  home,  with  a  note  of  explanation. 

"One  morning  after  a  number  of  under  age  children 
had  been  sent  home,  a  mother  and  her  boy  came  to  my 
office.  On  my  asking  what  I  could  do  for  her,  she  re- 
plied that  she  wanted  her  boy  in  school.  I  said  that  I'd 
be  pleased  to  have  the  boy  in  school  were  he  of  school 
age;  that  the  card  she  had  filled  out  showed  him  six 
months  under  age,  too  young  to  enter  that  semester. 

"The  mother  was  somewhat  indignant,  and  left  the 
office.  In  a  few  minutes,  she  and  the  boy  returned,  ac- 
companied by  her  husband,  the  father  of  the  boy.  The 
father  appeared  very  angry  and  said  to  me:  lWe 
want  this  boy  in  school.'  Again  I  explained  the  age 
requirements  for  entering  school  for  the  first  time. 


120  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

"The  father  replied:  'Give  me  that  card.  I'll  fix 
it  so  he'll  be  old  enough.  If  we  had  known  what  you 
were  after,  we  would  have  fixed  it  in  the  first  place.' 

"I  was  somewhat  surprised,  and  said,  'Why,  you 
would  not  give  me  a  false  report  of  his  age  to  get  him 
in  school?' 

'  '  '  You  better  believe  I  would.  Just  let  me  have  that 
card/  he  replied. 

"Will  you  please  tell  me  how  to  make  a  man  of  high 
ideals  of  honesty,  out  of  that  boy  with  that  kind  of 
home  training?" 

Mr.  B—  -  shook  his  head,  and  replied:  "I  don't 
know.  I've  nothing  to  offer.  It's  a  big  job." 

See  the  situation  with  this  boy.  His  father  was  the 
proprietor  of  a  store.  He  was  a  wonderful  man  in  the 
boy's  eye.  Father  would  be  untruthful  in  the  boy's 
presence  with  the  boy  understanding  all  about  it.  What 
would  be  the  effect  on  the  boy? 


One  day,  I  had  just  seated  myself  for  my  noon  lunch 
when  I  was  called  to  the  phone.  A  woman's  voice  with 
a  laugh  as  if  something  funny  had  happened  said: 
"Oh,  Mr.  Stableton,  you've  got  me  into  a  lot  of 
trouble." 

"Who  is  this  talking,  and  what  is  the  trouble?"  I 
asked. 

Back  came  the  answer.  "I'm  Mrs.  Morley,  of 
E  -  School.  You  know  my  boy  Jesse  in  the  fifth 
grade,  well  he  got  mad  at  his  teacher  Friday,  and 
brought  his  books  home  and  said  he  was  going  to  one  of 
the  parochial  schools.  Now  I  didn't  want  him  to  go  to 
a  parochial  school,  and  didn't  know  what  to  do,  so  I 
told  him  I'd  seen  you  and  you  said  he'd  have  to  come 


STEALING  121 

back  to  his  own  school ;  that  you  wouldn  't  let  him  go  to 
a  parochial  school,  so  he  went  back  to  his  own  school 
and  told  the  principal  what  I  'd  said,  and  she  asked  you 
on  the  phone  if  you  had  told  me  that ;  and  you  told  her 
that  you  had  not  seen  me,  nor  told  me  anything;  and 
Jesse  was  right  in  the  office  and  the  principal  told  him 
what  you  told  her.  Now  he's  come  home  to  his  dinner, 
and  says  I  lied  to  him,  and  I  don't  know  what  to  do." 

I  phoned  in  reply:  "Yes,  I  did  tell  the  principal 
that  I  had  not  seen  you,  nor  talked  with  you.  The  only 
help  I  can  give  you  is  my  advice  that  you  tell  the  truth 
and  you  will  not  be  in  trouble." 

What  effect  on  the  character  of  the  boy  must  this 
kind  of  home  training  have?  Six  hours  a  day,  month 
after  month,  throughout  the  life  of  even  his  compulsory 
school  years,  under  the  teaching  and  training  of  force- 
ful, honest,  earnest  teachers  in  the  school,  are  a  mighty 
power  shaping  the  boy's  character  for  good;  and  while 
this  school  life  may  not  wholly  overcome  the  evil  effects 
of  bad  home  training,  still  as  one  of  the  forces  contend- 
ing for  the  mastery  of  the  character  of  the  boy,  it  will 
at  least  bend  the  line  of  his  character  a  little  more  to- 
ward the  right,  even  though  in  the  end  the  character  be 
faulty.  We  are  teachers  of  little  faith  if  we  are  dis- 
appointed because  we  cannot  always  see  the  results  of 
our  work  in  the  lives  of  the  present  generation.  Much 
that  we  do  for  the  boy  today  may  not  shape  his  life  as 
we  wish,  but  it  implants  in  him  the  ideals  that  will 
shape  the  character  of  his  boy  tomorrow. 


CHAPTER  XI 

WRONGDOING— RESPONSIBILITY,  TEACHER'S ? 
PARENTS'?      CITY  GOVERNMENT'S? 

As  one  writer  says,  there  is  always  the  possibility 
that  some  of  the  ordinarily  fleeting  experiences  of  youth 
may  become  fixed  as  traits  of  character;  youth  is  the 
period  when  one  is  open  to  moulding  influences  as  at  no 
other  time  in  life;  influences  that  may  determine  the 
whole  after  life;  adolescent  longings  and  activities 
wrongly  directed  lead  to  crime;  and  if  there  is  con- 
tinued repetition  of  criminal  acts,  criminal  character  is 
the  result. 

Mr.  W.  D.  Morrison,  an  authority  on  youthful  crim- 
inology, says,  that  from  sixteen  years  of  age  there  is  a 
very  rapid  increase  in  crime ;  and  that  if  the  youth  from 
sixteen  years  of  age  to  twenty  could  be  kept  from  em- 
barking on  a  criminal  career,  the  drop  in  the  criminal 
population  would  be  far-reaching;  that  if  this  critical 
period  could  be  tided  over  without  repeated  acts  of 
crime,  there  is  much  less  likelihood  of  a  youth's  degen- 
erating into  a  criminal  of  the  professional  class.  One 
offense  does  not  fix  character,  but  continued  repetition 
of  acts,  either  good  or  bad,  at  this  time  in  life,  means 
character-building.  Often  a  parent  says:  "Oh,  if  my 
boy  could  only  be  under  good  surroundings  that  would 
attract  him  for  a  few  years,  he  would  be  all  safe. ' '  And 
the  parent  is  often  right  in  what  he  says. 

For  eighteen  years,  I  kept  a  pretty  close  tab  on  the 
boys  of  our  city  who  drifted  into  the  criminal  class,  boys 
who  during  their  school  life  were  in  our  schools.  Most 
all  of  them  I  knew  very  intimately  as  school  boys,  and  I 
also  knew  much  about  their  own  home  life.  This 

122 


WRONGDOING  123 

knowledge  made  me  consider  well  who  they  were  and 
whence  they  came  that  swelled  the  too  great  number  of 
the  criminal  class  from  our  city. 

This  study  increased  my  faith  in  the  good  early 
home  training  of  children.  They  may  drift,  they  may 
be  full  of  all  sorts  of  wild  pranks,  may  even  steal  and 
lie  shamefully  in  youth,  but  if  detected  and  held  from 
repeating  these  acts,  as  the  later  high  school  years  of 
this  period  come,  the  character  of  childhood  begins  to 
assert  itself  again. 

I  believe  this  is  true,  as  other  writers  have  said  that 
where  certain  habits  were  firmly  fixed  in  childhood,  and 
some  untoward  influence  has  not  too  strongly  affected 
the  youth,  the  firmly-fixed  habits  of  childhood  again 
appear,  though  somewhat  modified;  that  all  training  in 
childhood  is  not  lost  as  the  youth  goes  through  the 
breaking-up  and  recrystallization  period  of  adolescence. 
Good  early  training  and  good  parentage  tell  at  this 
time  of  life.  We  are  told,  too,  that  it  is  the  time  when 
inherited  tendencies  crop  out,  and  no  doubt  this  is  true ; 
and  it  is  also  true  that  the  better  the  training  in  good 
habits  in  childhood,  the  greater  the  possibility  of  good 
habits  setting  in  in  later  adolescence,  even  with  a  poor 
inheritance. 

Most  of  these  boys  who  entered  the  criminal  class 
from  our  city  during  the  eighteen  years  of  my  life  in 
Bloomington,  never  had  good  home  training.  Nowhere 
were  they  taught  obedience  and  respect  for  law  except 
in  school.  Their  homes  were  places  to  sleep  a  part  of 
the  night  and  to  eat  some  of  their  meals,  though  their 
homes  were  often  homes  of  plenty.  When  not  in  school, 
they  lived  on  the  streets.  Some  of  them  never  gave  any 
trouble  at  all  in  school,  while  others  were  restless  under 
restraint. 


124  YOUE  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

One  morning  a  number  of  years  ago,  one  of  our  prin- 
cipals asked  me  to  come  over  to  her  building  saying  she 
thought  some  of  her  boys  had  been  stealing  down  in  the 
city.  I  immediately  responded  to  her  call.  The  prin- 
cipal said  that  from  some  things  one  of  her  boys  had 
told  to  his  teacher  about  a  cigar  he  had  brought  to 
school,  she  believed  a  half-dozen  of  them  had  been  rob- 
bing cigar-stores. 

I  asked  the  principal  to  call  one  of  the  boys  into  the 
office  to  talk  with  me.  This  boy  was  almost  fourteen 
years  of  age,  the  oldest  of  the  half-dozen.  As  he  stood 
at  the  side  of  my  chair,  I  placed  my  hand  on  his 
shoulder  in  a  friendly  way,  and  kindly  asked  him  where 
he  had  gotten  the  cigars  he  had  had.  Turning  his  face 
away  so  that  I  could  not  look  him  in  the  eyes,  he  said 
he  had  bought  them  at  the  Phoenix  Cigar  Store  for  15c 
a  box.  Then  he  told  me  where  he  had  gotten  his  money. 
I  knew  from  his  manner  he  was  untruthful,  so  asked  him 
to  stand  in  the  hall  while  I  talked  with  another  boy. 

The  next  boy  was  a  beautiful  little  fellow  about  ten 
years  of  age.  I  put  my  arm  around  him  as  he  stood  by 
my  chair  and  asked  him  if  he  would  tell  me  where  he 
got  the  cigars. 

Looking  me  full  in  the  face  he  said:  "Yes,  Mr. 
Stableton,  we  got  part  of  them  at  the  Phoenix  Cigar 
Store  on  Main  Street." 

"What  did  you  pay  for  them?"  was  my  next  ques- 
tion. 

"Oh,  we  never  paid  anything  for  them,  we  just  took 
them,"  said  he. 

He  then  told  me  that  every  evening  after  they  had 
had  their  suppers  they  went  to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and 
stayed  there  till  the  time  they  put  all  young  boys  out; 
that  when  they  left  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  they  would  go  to 


WRONGDOING  125 

the  Phoenix  Cigar  Store  on  North  Main  Street,  or  some- 
times they  would  go  to  Mr.  S 's  store  on  East 

Front  Street;  that  they  did  not  go  to  the  stores  every 
night,  but  that  they  went  pretty  often. 

"But  how  do  you  get  the  cigars ?"  I  asked. 

He  replied:  "You  know  when  you  go  into  the 
Phoenix  Store  there  is  a  flower  stand  on  this  side," 
motioning  with  his  right  hand  to  the  right  to  give  its 
proper  location,  "We  go  past  it  and  turn  to  the  other 
side  past  the  cigar  counter,  and  go  out  that  elevator 
room  door,"  using  his  hand  to  give  everything  its  posi- 
tion in  the  store,  "and  as  we  pass  the  cigar  counter,  we 
reach  down  under  the  counter  and  take  the  packages  of 
cigars,  as  many  as  we  want,  then  go  on  into  the  elevator 
room  and  out  the  front  door  of  that  room  into  the 
street." 

"What  kind  of  cigars  do  you  get  at  this  store?"  I 
asked. 

"We  get  packages  with  nine  cigars  in  a  package. 
At  the  other  store  we  get  tin  boxes  with  twenty-five 
cigars  in  each  box,"  he  replied. 

"How  do  you  get  them  at  the  other  store?"  I  asked. 

In  reply  he  said:  "You  know  the  central  fire  de- 
partment station  is  next  to  the  store  on  Front  Street. 
We  go  in  back  of  it  to  the  back  part  of  the  cigar  store. 
There  is  a  side  door  to  the  store  and  a  window  next  to 
it.  Well,  there's  some  steps  up  against  the  side  of  the 
building  under  the  window,  and  one  of  the  boys  goes 
up  the  steps — " 

I  here  broke  into  his  story  with,  "and  goes  in  through 
the  window?" 

"No  sir,"  he  replied,  "goes  up  the  steps  and  pulls 
down  the  upper  part  of  the  window,  and  reaches  in  and 


126  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

takes  the  boxes  and  gives  them  to  the  rest  of  us,  every 
one  a  box.  These  are  tin  boxes,  twenty-five  in  a  box. ' ' 

After  he  had  told  me  this  and  much  more  of  how 
they  operated,  I  met  the  six  boys  together  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  principal.  As  soon  as  they  knew  I  had  full 
possession  of  the  facts  about  the  cigars,  they  had  many 
other  things  to  tell  me.  They  were  more  skilled  than 
one  would  like  to  believe  in  the  art  of  lifting  goods  from 
the  Ten  Cent  Stores  and  various  notion  stores. 

None  of  these  boys  caused  any  unusual  trouble  at 
school.  One  or  two  of  them  were  a  little  restless  under 
the  confinement  of  school.  The  others  were  excellent  in 
deportment  at  school.  In  one  sense,  this  was  not  my 
affair;  in  another  it  was.  I  was  interested  in  the  boj-s. 

I  called  at  the  Phoenix  Cigar  Store  and  asked  the 
proprietor  if  he  had  been  missing  any  cigars.  He  re- 
plied that  he  had  not.  I  then  told  him  the  boy's  story, 
but  he  said  there  was  nothing  to  the  story.  Next  I 
offered  him  some  of  his  own  goods  given  me  by  the  boys. 
That  was  too  much ;  he  knew  the  goods.  He  then  looked 
under  the  open  counter  where  the  boy  had  said  they  had 
gotten  the  cigars,  and  was  greatly  surprised  to  find  they 
had  been  taking  freely  of  his  package  cigars  that  were 
stored  under  the  counter.  He  was  somewhat  chagrined 
that  he  had  been  so  easily  * '  worked ' '  by  the  boys. 

Next  I  called  on  Mr.  S ,  the  proprietor  of  the 

East  Front  Street  cigar  store.  He  was  standing  at  his 
front  door  when  I  told  him  that  some  of  our  school  boys 
said  they  had  been  taking  cigars  from  his  store.  Mr. 

S smiled  and  said  there  was  nothing  to  their 

story,  that  he  had  not  lost  any  cigars.  Then  I  spoke  of 
his  side  door,  and  the  window  with  steps  under  it,  and 
how  the  boys  claimed  they  had  taken  the  cigars;  that 


WRONGDOING  127 

they  said  the  cigars  were  in  tin  boxes,  twenty-five  in  a 
box. 

Then  he  said :  "  I  carry  that  kind  of  goods,  and  I  'm 
the  only  man  in  the  city  that  does.  Come  in,  let's  see 
what  we  can  find  out." 

We  found  out  that  the  boy  had  given  an  exact  de- 
scription of  the  place  and  manner  of  taking  the  cigars ; 
and  that  they  had  taken  about  five  hundred  cigars. 

Of  these  six  boys,  two  finally  entered  the  professional 
criminal  class. 

From  similar  gangs  of  boys  come  many  who  con- 
tinually fill  up  the  ranks  of  professional  criminals. 

Too  many  cities  and  towns  offer  but  little  protection 
to  these  younger  boys  whose  homes  permit  them  to  roam 
the  streets  from  early  evening  till  midnight.  These  are 
the  hours  when  the  forces  of  evil  get  a  hold  on  these 
boys  that  means  their  ruin. 

Public  school  teachers  all  over  this  land  by  their  de- 
votion to  the  boys  and  girls  of  their  schools  are  exerting 
so  strong  an  influence  on  many  that  it  saves  them  from 
the  street  temptations  that  surround  them;  but  there 
are  city  responsibilities  and  parental  duties  that  can 
never  be  shifted  to  the  teacher's  shoulders.  I  will  ill- 
ustrate this  point  by  telling  a  little  story. 

It  was  Monday  morning  following  a  Thanksgiving 
vacation  of  Thursday  and  Friday,  that  a  prominent 
patron  of  one  of  our  elementary  schools  called  at  the 
principal's  office  to  lay  a  complaint  against  a  boy  of  her 
neighborhood  who  attended  this  particular  school. 

The  principal,  a  woman  of  sincere  and  gracious 
manners,  listened  to  the  complaint  and  the  request  that 
was  coupled  with  it. 

The  caller  proceeded :  "I  have  come  to  make  a  com- 
plaint against  Henry  Smith.  He  is  one  of  your  pupils 


128  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

and  you  are  responsible  for  his  conduct.  Last  Friday 
afternoon  Henry  attacked  my  son.  Knocked  him  down 
and  beat  him  until  his  face  was  a  fright  to  see.  Henry 
is  as  mean  a  white  child  as  I  know  though  his  mother 
thinks  he  is  perfection.  They  live  just  across  the  street 
from  us  and  I  know  she  resents  it  if  anything  is  said 
about  him.  I  can  not  go  to  her  about  this  as  she  and  I 
mingle  socially  and  I  do  not  wish  any  trouble  to  come 
between  us. 

"Now  you  are  responsible  since  we  employ  you  to 
look  after  the  conduct  of  your  pupils,  so  I've  come  to 
make  this  complaint  and  to  request  you  to  whip  Henry 
severely  for  attacking  my  boy.  It  is  your  duty  to  do 
this." 

The  principal  gave  respectful  attention  to  the  recital, 
and  then  asked:  "When  did  you  say  this  took  place?" 

4 :< Last  Friday  afternoon,  right  in  front  of  my  own 
home,"  answered  the  caller,  nodding  her  head. 

"Last  Friday?"  echoed  the  principal,  "Why,  that 
was  during  vacation.  I  have  no  control  over  these  boys 
and  girls  when  they  are  at  their  homes  during  vacation 
time.  I  have  no  right  whatever  to  punish  or  correct 
Henry  in  any  manner,  so  I  must  respectfully  decline  to 
consider  it,  as  it  is  wholly  beyond  my  jurisdiction." 

This  principal  always  exercised  good  judgment  in 
drawing  the  line  between  what  responsibilities  were 
hers  and  what  were  not  hers.  Most  carefully,  and  most 
conscientiously,  she  discharged  all  that  were  hers. 

Teachers  may  say  this  story  is  of  a  rather  extreme 
case.  I  grant  them  that  is  true,  but  it  is  an  honest  re- 
cital of  an  actual  occurrence.  The  woman  was  a  woman 
of  wealth  and  high  social  standing.  It  brings  prom- 
inently to  view  the  fact  that  the  teacher  has  her  re- 
sponsibilities, and  that  the  parents  have  theirs. 


WRONGDOING  129 

It  is  a  great  opportunity  to  be  helpful,  the  oppor- 
tunity to  teach  the  ordinary  lessons  as  arithmetic,  his- 
tory, geography,  spelling  and  others,  cheerfully,  in- 
telligently, conscientiously,  living  a  life  that  exempli- 
fies in  the  midst  of  the  teacher's  school,  the  ideals  he 
would  implant  in  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the  boys  and 
girls  who  are  daily  in  his  presence. 

It  is  the  great  opportunity  that  comes  to  teachers.  It 
is  their  direct  responsibility. 

********* 

One  morning  our  compulsory  attendance  officer  said 
to  me  that  he  had  found  some  more  work  for  me  to  do. 

"What  is  it?"  I  asked. 

The  attendance  officer  replied:  "I  happened  to 

meet  Mr.  A on  the  street  last  evening,  and  he 

stopped  me  and  said  for  me  to  tell  you  that  some  boys 
were  running  a  gambling  den  in  a  room  in  a  certain  down 
town  office  building;  that  his  own  boy,  a  high  school 
boy,  was  one  of  them;  that  several  other  high  school 
boys  went  there  sometimes;  but  other  boys  not  high 
school  boys  made  up  most  of  the  gang;  that  it  was  a 
bad  thing,  and  he  wanted  me  to  tell  you  he  hoped  you'd 
'clean  it  out.'  " 

Now  Mr.  A who  had  sent  this  word  to  me, 

was  one  of  the  ablest  attorneys  in  the  city. 

I  replied  to  the  attendance  officer  that  looking  after 
delinquent  school  children,  and  parents  who  tried  un- 
lawfully to  keep  their  children  out  of  school,  was  a  part 
of  my  legitimate  work  as  superintendent  of  the  city 
schools ;  but  that  gambling  dens  and  especially  those  fre- 
quented by  minors,  should  be  reported  to  the  mayor; 
that  it  was  the  city  government's  place  to  "clean  out" 
the  gambling  dens;  that  I  could  do  nothing  in  the 
matter. 


130  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

Mr.  A appreciated  my  position  and  through 

the  proper  officers  had  the  den  "cleaned  out"  and 
closed  up. 

A  superintendent's  field  is  broad  enough  for  the  full 
exercise  of  all  his  powers.  He  makes  a  serious  mistake 
when  he  assumes  authority  that  rightly  belongs  to  the 
city  government.  He  should  lend  his  influence  to  fur- 
ther all  good  works  but  to  further  them  through  the 
proper  channels. 

One  afternoon  the  second  week  after  the  Christmas 
vacation,  one  of  our  high  school  teachers  of  English 
called  at  my  office  to  talk  with  me  about  one  of  her 
scholars.  After  we  had  talked  a  few  minutes,  she  said 
to  me  that  she  had  at  last  found  one  thing  at  which 
Hiram  F could  make  good. 

"What  is  that  one  thing?"  I  asked. 

She  replied:  "He  would  make  a  good  reporter  for 
a  sporting  paper." 

Then  she  said  that  the  week  after  the  vacation,  for 
a  class  exercise,  she  had  asked  each  member  of  her  first 
year  English  class  to  write  some  incident  of  the  vaca- 
tion, and  that  Hiram  had  written  the  paper  she  held  in 
her  hand.  She  then  passed  me  the  paper  saying  that 
it  was  the  first  written  paper  that  he  had  ever  given  her 
that  could  be  marked  above  a  passing  grade;  that  this 
paper  was  an  excellent  bit  of  English  and  Would  grade 
in  the  nineties;  that  she  knew  it  was  his  own  composi- 
tion for  he  had  written  it  under  her  own  observation  in 
class;  that  it  was  the  first  subject  she  had  discovered 
that  he  could  write  about. 

I  then  read  the  paper.  In  the  paper  he  told  of  his 
going  to  a  club-room  and  engaging  in  a  game  of  cards 
for  money.  He  gave  every  move  in  the  game  from  start 
to  finish,  telling  just  how  much  money  passed  hands  and 


WRONGDOING  131 

how  much  he  won.  The  story  was  told  with  a  movement 
that  would  lead  one  unacquainted  with  the  game  to  be- 
lieve the  writer  knew  well  the  game,  knew  it  as  only  a 
good  player  could  know  it.  Without  giving  the  boy's 
name,  the  paper  was  passed  to  one  of  the  expert  gam- 
blers of  the  city  who  said  no  one  but  an  expert  could  so 
perfectly  describe  every  move  of  a  game. 

A  short  time  after  I  had  a  talk  with  Hiram.  I 
asked  where  he  had  learned  to  play  the  game  that  he 
had  become  so  expert  in  playing. 

He  replied  that  his  father  and  mother  had  taught 
him;  that  they  played  a  great  deal.  "Why,  Mr.  Stable- 
ton,  all  the  people  my  father  and  mother  go  with  so- 
cially play  cards,"  said  he. 

"But,"  I  replied,  "Hiram,  they  do  not  play  for 
money. ' ' 

"Yes,  Mr.  Stableton,  they  do  play  for  money,  my 
father  and  mother,  and  the  people  with  whom  they  play, 
all  play  for  money.  They  play  for  money  to  make  the 
game  interesting." 

Knowing  the  boy  as  I  did,  I  had  no  reason  to  doubt 
his  statements,  he  had  always  been  honest  and  truthful. 

A  few  months  later,  one  of  the  leading  ministers  of 
our  city  called  at  my  office  for  a  little  visit.  He  was  not 
the  pastor  of  my  own  church,  but  we  were  warm  friends. 
In  the  course  of  our  conversation,  he  remarked  that  we 
educators  seemed  to  think  education  was  everything  even 
to  the  extent  of  giving  religion  but  little  place. 

I  replied,  laughing,  that  I  thought  I  was  trying  to 
live  a  Christian  life  just  as  hard  as  he  was,  but  that 
my  work  was  with  young  people,  not  in  the  pulpit;  I 
then  talked  over  a  number  of  the  boys  to  whom  we 
school  people  were  trying  to  be  helpful,  not  only  as 
teachers  of  lessons,  but  as  friends,  to  guard  them  from 


132  YOUE  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

wrong ;  that  often  we  could  do  little  on  account  of  home 
influences.  Among  others,  I  told  him  in  strict  confidence 

for  I  could  trust  him,  of  Hiram  J ,  not  at  first 

giving  him  the  boy's  name. 

11  What !"  said  he.  "  Hiram  J !  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  my  church ;  his  mother  is  a  teacher  in  my  Sunday 
School/' 

Who  is  responsible  for  Hiram  J 's  being  more 

familiar  with  gambling  than  with  any  other  subject  on 
which  he  ever  wrote  in  a  year's  work  in  high  school 
English? 

********* 

As  I  have  said  elsewhere,  most  of  the  acts  of  scholars 
of  this  period  of  life  are  unmoral,  not  immoral;  but  as 
the  scholars  pass  on  to  the  later  high  school  years  of 
adolescence,  to  early  manhood  and  womanhood,  if  there 
is  not  discernible  at  least  a  tendency  to  correct  the  uri- 
truthfulness  or  stealing  that  has  marked  them  during 
the  earlier  years  of  adolescence,  there  is  great  danger 
that  these  commonly  fleeting  characteristics  of  this 
period  will,  as  a  consequence,  become  fixed  as  traits  of 
character. 


CHAPTER  XII 
AWAKENED  TO  A  CONSCIOUSNESS  OF  POWER 

A  number  of  years  ago  when  as  superintendent  I 
took  charge  of  the  schools  at  Charleston,  Illinois,  I  found 
the  high  school  well  organized  and  doing  excellent  work. 
One  day  the  principal  and  I  were  talking  over  the  high 
school  work  and  as  there  was  no  interest  in  public  speak- 
ing in  the  school  I  suggested  that  we  hold  a  declamation 
contest  some  time  the  latter  part  of  the  semester.  For  a 
number  of  years  I  had  been  in  the  habit  of  helping  to 
conduct  similar  contests  and  had  given  considerable 
attention  to  training  the  speakers.  I  had  found  that  a 
well-directed  contest  of  this  kind  has  a  fine  effect  in 
arousing  an  interest  in  public  speaking  on  the  part  of 
the  scholars.  The  principal  favored  my  suggestion,  but 
asked  who  would  help  with  the  training,  as  all  the  high 
school  teachers  were  carrying  heavy  work.  I  replied 
that  I  had  helped  with  it  in  other  schools  and  would 
help  there;  that  I  was  not  an  expert  but  could  and 
would  help. 

The  principal  said  further  that  he  did  not  believe 
any  of  the  high  school  boys  would  be  willing  to  take 
part. 

I  replied  that  I  had  no  fear  of  their  not  being  willing 
to  take  part ;  that  I  had  never  met  high  school  boys  who 
would  not  enter  heartily  into  a  contest  of  this  kind 
when  it  had  been  rightly  presented  to  them ;  and  that  I 
felt  sure  I  should  find  the  Charleston  boys  willing  to  do 
their  best  in  making  a  program  of  this  kind  a  success. 

The  principal  then  asked  who  I  thought  would  be 
good  ones  to  select  for  contestants.  I  had  been  in  the 
school  only  a  short  time,  and  had  not  become  well  ac- 

133 


134  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

quainted  with  the  boys  of  high  school,  but  I  had  ob- 
served which  ones  the  scholars  recognized  as  leaders,  or 
as  "shining  lights"  in  athletics,  and  I  knew  it  would 
be  wise  to  use  one  of  the  leading  athletes  on  the  program 
as  I  believed  it  would  have  a  favorable  influence  on 
others  who  would  be  invited  to  enter  the  contest. 

With  this  thought  in  mind,  I  replied  that  I  thought 
Meyers  Carter,  the  greatest  athlete  in  the  high  school, 
should  be  asked  to  be  one  of  the  contestants.  Meyers  was 
a  great  big,  likable,  handsome  fellow,  the  school's  great- 
est asset  in  things  athletic.  This  was  before  a  scholar- 
ship standing  was  required  to  be  eligible  to  play  on  an 
athletic  team.  When  I  named  him  for  a  contestant,  the 
principal  said:  "Why,  Mr.  Stableton,  he  couldn't  do 
anything.  He's  a .  mighty  fine  fellow,  but  he's  no 
student ;  he 's  about  the  poorest  scholar  in  the  freshman 
class.  Why,  he  can  hardly  learn  a  lesson,  and  would 
be  an  impossibility  so  far  as  a  declamation  contest  is 
concerned. ' ' 

I  replied  that  I'd  like  to  try  Meyers  and  see  if  I 
could  do  anything  with  him.  It  would  do  no  harm  to 
try  him  out. 

The  principal  then  asked  me  if  I  had  ever  heard 
Meyers  try  to  recite,  saying  that  he  stammers  so  that  it 
is  very  hard  to  follow  him  in  what  he  says;  but  if  I 
would  like  to  try  him,  he'd  be  pleased  to  have  me  do  it. 
"There's  one  thing  about  him,"  he  said,  "he  is  a  fine 
fellow  if  he  isn't  a  student." 

The  declamatory  entertainment  was  a  great  success. 
It  was  held  in  the  First  M.  E.  Church,  and  the  seating 
capacity  and  standing  room  were  taxed  to  the  limit. 

Meyers  was  an  athlete  and  knew  what  it  was  to  be  in 
the  foot  races  and  other  athletic  contests.  He  was  big, 
somewhat  loose-jointed  as  would  be  expected  at  his  age, 


CONSCIOUSNESS  OF  POWER  135 

and  yet  with  these  handicaps,  still  had  much  of  grace  in 
his  movements.  I  knew  I  must  assign  him,  or  rather 
help  him  decide  on  a  selection  that  would  give  plenty 
of  opportunity  for  the  bigger  movements  of  his  body, 
the  play  of  the  big  muscles,  whose  ease  and  beauty  of 
motion  called  forth  the  thrilling  admiration  of  the  crowd 
when  he  was  leading  to  victory  his  high  school  team  on 
the  athletic  field.  As  he  had  won  in  the  foot-race,  so 
had  Dr.  Holmes'  Old  Horse,  so  "How  the  Old  Horse 
Won  the  Bet"  was  his  selection. 

I  had  no  difficulty  in  overcoming  his  stammering  and 
bringing  out  a  voice  well  suited  to  the  selection.  The 
piece  gave  him  great  freedom.  Long  before  the  night 
of  the  entertainment  I  knew  he  would  surprise  all  his 
friends. 

Before  the  evening  of  the  contest,  it  was  decided 
there  would  be  no  judges,  no  awarding  or  announcing 
of  honors. 

That  night  all  did  well,  but  none  better  than  Meyers. 
The  audience  was  spell-bound  as  Meyers'  interest  in  the 
Old  Horse  and  his  jockey  became  so  intense  that  he  was 
lost  to  all  about  him  and  was  swinging  around  that 
course,  every  power  of  body  and  mind  bent  on  pushing 
on  to  victory  the  Old  Horse  and  rider.  As  the  Old 
Horse  went  round  and  round  with  mighty  stride,  so 
Meyers'  big  body  swayed  rhythmically  in  harmony 
with  the  Old  Horse,  till  in  triumph  he  passed  the  goal. 

Meyers  too  had  reached  a  goal.  The  people  gathered 
about  the  contestants  and  congratulated  each  one  on  his 
part  in  the  program.  None  were  more  warmly  congrat- 
ulated than  Meyers.  It  was  the  first  thing  in  the  line 
of  school  work,  except  in  athletics,  that  he  had  ever 
done  for  which  he  had  received  praise.  His  goal  was 


136  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

that  he  had  become  conscious  that  he  could  do  things 
other  than  athletics  that  were  worth  while. 

His  principal,  teachers  and  schoolmates,  and  his 
friends  in  the  community,  recognized  the  man  they  had 
not  known  before. 

The  principal  and  teachers  expected  better  class- 
room work  than  he  had  done  before  and  were  not  satis- 
fied with  his  former  standard.  It  is  a  great  blessing 
to  young  people  to  know  that  their  friends  expect  a 
good  report  of  them  in  whatever  they  do.  For  a  scholar 
in  the  high  school  to  feel  that  his  principal,  teachers, 
and  school-mates,  and  his  community  friends,  expect  a 
good  quality  of  school  work  from  him,  is  a  wonderful 
stimulus  to  his  doing  what  is  expected  of  him. 

Meyers  felt  that  he  must  meet  these  expectations. 
Then  too  he  now  had  faith  in  his  ability  to  do  better 
school  work  than  he  had  done  and  determined  to  do  it. 
And  he  did  it.  Not  that  he  became  a  brilliant  student, 
for  he  did  not.  His  grades  were  only  fair,  but  they  were 
not  that  before.  He  finally  graduated  from  the  high 
school  having  made  an  excellent  record  in  a  few  of  his 
studies  and  only  fair  records  in  others,  and  with  the 
highest  esteem  of  the  faculty,  the  scholars  of  the  school, 
and  of  those  in  the  community  who  knew  him. 

The  two  things  the  declamation  contest  did  for  him 
were,  first,  it  made  him  conscious  of  his  power  or  ability 
to  do  work  in  this  line  that  called  forth  commendation 
and  that  awakened  in  him  faith  in  his  ability  to  do  other 
school  work  if  he  only  put  forth  the  effort;  the  second 
was  that  he  must  not  fail  to  meet  the  expectations  of  his 
friends;  his  pride  was  touched  in  a  good  way. 

Again  and  again  I  have  seen  that  when  a  high  school 
scholar  is  indifferent  to  his  work,  practically  doing  noth- 
ing, that  if  something  can  arouse  an  interest  in  one 


CONSCIOUSNESS  OF  POWER  137 

study  so  he  does  what  he  knows  is  creditable  work  in 
that  subject,  he  can  be  led  to  be  interested  in  other  sub- 
jects or  studies,  and  finally  to  good  work  in  all  his  high 
school  studies.  This  is  especially  true  if  he  has  had  but 
little  faith  in  his  ability  to  do  good  work  in  any  study. 

Meyers  continued  his  school  education  until  he  grad- 
uated from  a  higher  institution  of  learning.  His  schol- 
arship in  this  higher  institution  was  not  of  the  highest ; 
but  it  was  of  sufficiently  high  grade  to  give  him  a 
diploma  from  the  institution,  an  institution  that  never 
gives  diplomas  to  those  who  do  not  deserve  them. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Superintendents'  Department  of 
the  National  Educational  Association  a  few  years  ago, 
I  became  acquainted  with  the  State  Superintendent  of 
Public  Schools  in  the  state  where  Meyers  was  then  teach- 
ing. I  had  lost  track  of  Meyers,  and  so  did  not  know 
where  he  was  located.  In  the  course  of  our  conversa- 
tion, the  Superintendent  told  me  that  one  of  my  former 
scholars  was  principal  of  a  large  elementary  school  in  a 
certain  city  in  his  state,  and  that  he  had  made  a  great 
record;  that  he  was  considered  the  finest  principal  in 
that  state  in  his  ability  to  deal  with  boys  and  hold  them 
to  their  school  interests. 


Frank  K entered  the  high  school  at  fourteen 

years  of  age  having  made  a  good  record  in  his  grammar 
grade  studies.  He  was  rather  small  for  a  boy  of 
fourteen,  and  gave  no  indications  whatever  of  having 
entered  the  stage  of  puberty,  but  was  in  excellent  health. 
He  came  of  good  parentage  and  was  well  cared  for  in 
his  home. 

The  first  year  in  the  high  school  he  carried  all  his 
work  but  made  no  high  grades.  The  second  year  in  the 


138  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

high  school,  he  was  listless,  dreamy ;  and  while  he  passed 
in  all  his  studies,  his  grades  were  so  low  it  almost  seemed 
that  he  had  been  passed  "by  grace." 

The  second  high  school  year  he  was  evidently  under- 
going great  physical  changes.  He  made  quite  a  growth 
in  height,  although  he  never  attained  a  height  of  more 
than  five  feet  five  inches. 

He  had  always  been  neat  in  his  dress,  but  his  third 
year  in  the  high  school  he  was  one  of  the  most  dressy 
boys  in  the  school,  caring  more  for  the  brush  of  his  hair, 
the  color  of  his  neckties,  of  which  there  were  many,  the 
crease  of  his  pant  legs,  and  the  shine  on  his  shoes,  than 
for  any  of  his  studies  that  the  teachers  forced  on  his 
attention. 

Physically  he  had  passed  from  boyhood  to  youth, 
and  the  emotional  and  the  mental  characteristics  were 
those  of  this  stage.  To  look  at  his  hair  one  would  think 
he  thought  the  hairs  of  his  head  were  all  numbered,  by 
the  girls,  they  were  so  exactly  combed.  In  the  some- 
what select  dancing  party,  he  found  his  greatest  pleas- 
ure. But  he  was  the  despair  of  his  teachers.  They 
called  upon  the  principal  for  help  to  hold  him  up  in  his 
studies,  and  the  principal  called  upon  the  parents,  but 
all  to  little  effect.  In  some  of  his  studies  he  failed  com- 
pletely, and  in  the  others  made  only  passing  marks. 

When  his  third  year  closed,  he  did  not  expect  to  re- 
enter  school  for  his  fourth  year;  but  his  parents  still 
hoped  he  would  change  his  mind  and  continue  in  school 
to  his  graduation.  Two  or  three  weeks  before  the  open- 
ing of  school  in  September,  he  called  on  me  at  my  office 
to  tell  me  he  was  thinking  of  returning  to  school  and  to 
ask  what  I  thought  he  could  do.  He  asked  if  I  thought 
it  would  be  possible  for  him  to  make  up  all  he  had  lost 
the  year  before  and  graduate  with  his  class. 


CONSCIOUSNESS  OF  POWER  139 

I  replied  that  it  was  "up  to  Mm,"  he  could  do  it 
if  he  would,  but  that  it  would  mean  a  year  of  close,  hard 
work;  that  he  would  have  no  time  for  any  other  in- 
terests ;  that  all  outside  interests  would  have  to  be  given 
up  that  he  might  have  time  for  the  work  he  would  have 
to  make  up ;  but  that  I  had  no  question  of  his  ability 
to  do  it  if  he  only  would ;  that  we  would  give  him  the  op- 
portunity and  every  help  possible,  but  that  he  alone 
could  say  whether  or  not  he  was  willing  to  pay  the 
price  of  graduation. 

I  then  said  further :  ' '  Here  you  are,  Frank,  a  young 
man  of  excellent  physical  health,  good  mental  ability, 
of  polished  manners,  a  representative  of  one  of  the  best 
of  homes,  willing  to  work  at  anything  you  can  find  to  do 
to  earn  money,  but  too  intellectually  lazy  to  finish  a 
high  school  education.  You  are  a  young  man  of  good 
moral  character.  We  all  know  how  finely  your  brother 
did  in  high  school.  You  are  as  well-equipped  mentally 
as  your  brother,  but  you  do  not  seem  to  be  willing  to 
hold  yourself  down  to  hard  study  as  he  did.  There  is  no 
need  of  my  telling  you  of  the  value  of  a  high  school  ed- 
ucation for  you  know  this  without  words  from  me.  It 
seems  to  me  it  is  only  a  question  of  your  willingness  to 
hold  yourself  strictly  to  hard  school  work  for  a  year  in 
order  that  you  may  graduate  next  June.  It's  a  test  of 
your  'grit.'  A  fellow  with  plenty  of  'grit'  would  never 
question  as  to  whether  or  not  he  could  hold  out,  he 
would  simply  start  in  to  do  it  and  would  do  it.  He 
would  never  for  an  instant  weaken  himself  by  wonder- 
ing if  he  could  do  it.  The  teachers  have  but  little  faith 
in  you  as  a  student,  in  fact,  they  think  you  are  a  'dead 
beat'  in  class  work.  You  can  and  must  change  this. 
You  must  do  a  grade  of  work  that  will  command  their 
respect. 


140  YOUE  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

"To  graduate  next  June  is  a  big  undertaking,  but 
I'd  clench  my  teeth  in  determination  to  do  it.  Teachers 
may  have  an  incredulous  smile  when  they  learn  you  are 
counting  on  graduating  next  June;  but  all  this  will 
change  when  you  show  them  you  are  doing  the  work. 

"Don't  be  a  quitter,  come  back  and  show  your  met- 
tle. " 

He  left  the  office  pretty  well  decided  to  make  the  at- 
tempt. On  the  day  for  enrolling  seniors  he  was  on 
hand  to  arrange  his  work.  I  do  not  think  there  was  a 
teacher  in  the  school  who  had  any  faith  in  his  carrying 
the  studies  he  was  permitted  to  take;  but  for  some 
reason  I  believed  he  would  do  it.  The  first  month  had 
not  passed  before  all  knew  he  was  a  changed  boy.  When 
at  the  close  of  the  first  report  period,  five  weeks,  the 
teachers  put  their  grades  on  the  cards  to  be  sent  to  par- 
ents, they  would  say:  "Look  at  what  Frank's  done. 
That's  great  for  him!"  And  as  month  after  month 
went  by,  he  rose  higher  and  higher  in  the  esteem  of  his 
teachers. 

When  he  received  his  first  report  card  with  his 
grade,  I  looked  at  his  report,  grasped  his  hand  and  said : 
' '  Good,  Frank,  I  believed  you  would  do  it. ' '  He  smiled, 
that  was  all. 

His  parents  were  amazed  at  the  change  in  him.  Other 
years,  he  never  studied  at  home  however  hard  the  par- 
ents pressed  him  to  do  it ;  but  now  said  the  father :  "We 
never  speak  to  him  about  studying  his  lessons.  He  is  at 
them  often  before  we  are  up  in  the  morning,  and  we 
leave  him  working  at  them  when  we  go  to  bed.  He  does 
no  running  around  at  night  at  all.  The  one  thing  he  is 
centered  on  now  is  his  lessons.  My,  but  we  are  pleased 
now  when  we  look  over  his  report  card.  He  seems 
mighty  contented  too." 


CONSCIOUSNESS  OF  POWER  141 

At  the  close  of  the  year  in  June,  Frank  graduated, 
respected  and  admired  by  all  the  school  teaching  force 
for  what  he  had  accomplished.  He  carried  the  heaviest 
work  of  any  scholar  in  the  high  school,  and  ranked  high 
in  his  grades. 

With  the  physical  changes  of  youth  accomplished, 
the  mind  took  on  mental  vigor  unknown  before,  and  like 
the  young  child  learning  to  walk,  every  attempt  to  do 
the  desired  thing  brought  consciousness  of  power  to  do 
the  desired  thing.  The  part  the  school  did  was  to  hold 
on  to  the  boy  until  it  induced  him  to  make  the  attempt. 

Sometimes  we  school  people  are  at  a  loss  to  know 
how  to  keep  a  hold  on  some  high  school  scholars  until 
we  can  induce  them  to  put  forth  an  effort  in  the  right 
direction. 

#**###### 

A  year  or  two  ago,  I  heard  a  dean  from  one  of  our 
great  universities  say  to  the  students  of  a  large  high 
school  that  it  is  a  great  handicap  to  a  high  school  boy 
to  be  pretty,  or  good-looking;  that  the  homely-looking 
high  school  boys  have  by  far  the  better  opportunity  to 
make  something  worth  while  of  themselves  as  they  are 
not  drawn  away  from  the  serious  purposes  of  the  school 
by  the  too-great  attention  that  is  showered  on  those  who 
are  good-looking.  The  school  laughed  heartily. 

I'm  inclined  to  believe  there  is  some  truth  in  the 
dean's  statement. 

I  followed  Harmon  G through  the  grammar 

grades  of  the  elementary  grades  on  to  his  graduation 
from  the  high  school.  In  the  grammar  grades  he  was 
never  a  brilliant  pupil,  far  from  it,  he  ranked  always  as 
one  of  the  weaker  members  of  his  class.  But  he  Was  a 
beautiful  boy,  always  regular  in  attendance,  attentive 


142  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

to  his  work;  of  fine  manners,  and  a  very  likeable  dis- 
position. He  was  greatly  liked  by  all  his  teachers,  and 
by  all  who  knew  him. 

He  came  into  the  high  school  at  fourteen  years  of 
age,  and  the  first  year  made  a  record  in  perfect  accord 
with  what  he  had  done  in  the  grammar  grades.  His 
teachers  were  disappointed  that  he  did  not  do  a  better 
grade  of  work.  From  his  appearance,  they  expected 
more.  While  he  was  very  boyish-looking,  he  had  an  ex- 
ceedingly bright  face  and  fine  eyes  that  caused  the 
teachers  at  the  beginning  of  his  first  year  in  high  school, 
to  expect  him  to  show  himself  one  of  the  better  students 
in  his  class;  but  they  soon  learned  that  he  was  one  of 
the  weaker  ones. 

He  was  in  our  high  school  two  years  when  he  left  us 
to  live  in  another  city.  When  he  left  us  at  the  close  of 
his  second  year  in  high  school,  he  was  short  a  semester  in 
each  of  two  studies  in  which  he  had  failed.  He  was  in 
the  other  city  high  school  a  year  when  he  returned  to 
us.  Now  all  his  boyish  look  had  vanished  and  he  was  an 
unusually  handsome  youth,  one  who  attracted  attention 
wherever  he  went,  and  especially  was  he  a  favorite  with 
a  certain  group  of  high  school  girls.  But  he  was  still 
only  an  ordinary  student.  His  report  of  credits  from 
the  school  he  had  been  attending  was  much  the  same  as 
the  record  he  had  made  with  us.  However,  he  was  with 
us  only  a  few  months,  when  changes  in  his  plans  took 
him  from  our  school  to  another  before  the  close  of  the 
semester.  This  broke  up  his  work.  At  the  opening  of 
the  next  semester,  he  returned  to  us.  This  changing 
about  which  could  not  be  avoided,  lost  him  much  time. 
He  was  somewhat  out  of  heart  about  ever  completing  a 
high  school  course.  Social  affairs  outside  of  school  had 
great  attraction  for  him  and  helped  to  make  him  dis- 


CONSCIOUSNESS  OF  POWER  143 

satisfied  with  the  thought  of  lengthening  the  time  to 
complete  a  high  school  course. 

As  the  semester  moved  on,  he  did  not  seem  to  be 
making  much  headway  with  his  school  work.  He  was 
trying  to  get  his  father's  consent  for  him  to  drop  out  of 
school  and  take  a  job  of  work  in  a  store.  I  happened  to 
meet  the  father  one  evening  about  this  time.  He  asked 
to  speak  with  me  about  Harmon. 

He  said:  "I  want  to  ask  you  one  question.  It  is 
this :  If  Harmon  were  your  boy,  would  you  permit  him 
to  give  up  his  school  and  never  finish  a  high  school 
course  ? ' ' 

I  replied:  "No,  I  would  not  permit  Ifiim  to  give  up 
his  high  school.  He  is  too  fine  a  boy  not  to  have  a  high 
school  education." 

He  replied:  "That's  all  I  want  to  know.  Harmon 
will  not  leave  high  school  until  he  graduates." 

The  following  morning  Harmon  came  into  my  office 
to  talk  over  his  work  with  me.  His  father  had  told  him 
of  our  conversation,  and  he  knew  that  he  must  plan  to 
complete  his  high  school  course.  But  he  said  he  did 
not  believe  he  was  ever  going  to  be  able  to  learn  geom- 
etry, that  he  could  not  see  through  it  and  would  like  to 
give  up  the  study.  I  knew  he  could  learn  geometry  for 
I  had  followed  him  in  his  mathematics  sufficiently  to 
know  he  was  not  "born  short"  there.  I  made  this 
arrangement  with  him  that  he  should  prepare  his  lesson 
for  the  next  day  and  that  I  would  hear  him  recite  it  at 
7 :30  in  the  morning  at  my  office.  I  was  to  try  him  and 
see  what  the  trouble  was. 

Let  no  one  think  for  a  moment  that  he  would  con- 
sider it  as  anything  unpleasant  or  in  the  way  of  a  pun- 
ishment to  recite  the  lesson  to  me.  We  were  friends.  I 


144  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

was  anxious  to  help  him.  He  was  pleased  to  come  to 
recite  to  me. 

He  recited  the  lesson.  It  was  well  prepared  con- 
sidering the  fact  that  he  had  been  giving  this  study  so 
little  time  in  the  past  that  this  lesson  was  for  that  reason 
hard  for  him.  He  was  clear  in  all  his  reasoning  and  in- 
stead of  showing  an  inability  to  master  geometry,  he 
showed  excellent  ability  providing  there  was  the  proper 
preparation. 

He  said  he  had  felt  like  quitting  for  he  had  never 
been  anything  but  a  "tail-ender"  all  the  way  through, 
and  that  he  had  gotten  tired  of  forever  being  the  poorest 
in  the  class.  But  since  his  father's  wish  was  that  he 
should  complete  his  high  school  course,  he  would  have  to 
do  it.  Then  he  added :  ' '  I  'm  tired,  and  sick  of  always 
being  the  dummy  in  the  recitation,  but  I  guess  it's  be- 
cause I  haven't  any  ability  to  do  good  work." 

I  replied:  "I'm  glad  you're  getting  tired  of  being 
one  of  the  poorest  in  your  classes.  You  have  good 
ability,  but  you  don't  use  it.  In  the  geometry  lesson 
you  have  recited  to  me  this  hour,  you  show  as  good 
ability  as  I  myself  have  and  that  is  the  subject  in  which 
I  ranked  highest  as  a  student  in  all  my  high  school  and 
university  work. 

"The  one  trouble  with  you,  Harmon,  is  you  do  not 
give  time  to  your  lessons.  You  have  never  given  your 
high  school  lessons  a  fair  show.  You  clerk  in  the  store 
before  school  in  the  morning  and  after  school  in  the 
afternoon  and  on  Saturdays ;  and  you  take  much  time  of 
evenings  for  your  own  social  pleasure.  All  of  this  is  all 
right  in  its  place,  but  if  you  are  to  do  creditable  work  in 
school,  you  must  find  some  way  to  get  more  time  for 
study.  You  can,  by  giving  the  proper  preparation  to 
your  work,  take  your  place  in  the  estimation  of  the 


CONSCIOUSNESS  OF  POWER  145 

teachers  and  fellow  students  as  one  of  the  best  students 
in  your  class." 

Before  he  left  my  office  he  said  he  was  going  to  do 
everything  in  his  power  to  be  known  as  a  good  student 
rather  than  a  dullard. 

He  did  improve,  and  closed  the  semester  with  a 
record  in  grades  far  above  what  he  had  been  making. 

The  next  year  he  was  permitted  to  carry  some  extra 
work,  that  he  might  finish  the  course  in  June.  He  was 
all  school  business  now.  Lessons  first,  then  other  things. 
He  was  no  longer  ashamed  of  his  poor  recitation  stand- 
ing, for  he  had  become  one  of  the  best  reciters  in  all  of 
his  classes.  Toward  the  close  of  the  second  semester 
each  year,  it  had  long  been  customary  for  the  senior 
class  to  give  a  play.  This  year  when  the  dramatic 
teacher  had  tested  the  seniors  for  their  fitness  for  places 
in  the  play,  it  was  found  that  Harmon  had  been  placed 
first  in  her  judgment  for  the  leading  character;  but 
nothing  had  been  said  to  him  as  it  was  a  question 
whether  or  not  he  would  be  permitted  to  take  the  place 
as  he  was  carrying  extra  work.  But  when  his  case  was 
referred  to  me  with  the  assurance  from  all  his  teachers 
that  he  was  above  question  in  all  his  work,  I  gladly  said 
to  give  him  the  place ;  that  it  would  do  him  good.  When 
I  met  him  the  next  day,  I  gripped  his  hand  and  said: 
"No  longer  a  tail-ender,  Harmon."  He  looked  pleased 
and  asked:  "Do  you  think  I  can  fill  the  place?" 

He  not  only  filled  the  place  of  the  leading  character, 
but  filled  it  in  a  really  brilliant  manner  that  captured 
his  audience  and  called  forth  rapturous  applause. 
***#*##«# 

At  the  opening  of  school  one  September,  among  the 
first   year    scholars   was    a   little,    poorly-clad    girl,    r. 


146  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

stranger  to  all  of  us,  as  she  had  come  to  us  from  another 
city  where  she  had  completed  her  eighth  grade  work. 
She  was  so  very  poorly  clad  that  she  drew  forth  our  pity. 

She  selected  in  her  elective  studies  those  leading  to 
the  business  course.  The  first  year  and  the  second 
passed  on  with  but  few  words  said  of  our  little  waif- 
looking  scholar.  She  was  always  in  her  place  doing 
faithfully  whatever  was  assigned  her  to  do,  though  her 
work  was  sometimes  below  passing.  Once  or  twice  I 
saw  her  in  tears  over  some  failures  she  had  made.  The 
teacher  of  shorthand  said  Amelia  was  a  tremendous 
worker,  but  did  not  seem  to  show  much  ability.  Every- 
where her  work  was  only  ordinary. 

The  third  year  came  and  found  her  again  in  school 
with  some  improvement  in  her  appearance,  though  she 
still  had  that  uncharitable  charity  look  in  clothing.  This 
year  she  was  the  same  industrious,  untiring  little  person, 
but  at  the  close  of  the  year,  she  failed  to  pass  in  the 
second  semester  of  shorthand.  She  had  tried  and  tried, 
oh  so  hard  to  do  the  work,  but  still  was  below  the  stand- 
ard for  passing.  She  was  assured,  however,  that  she 
would  be  permitted  to  take  up  the  advance  term  in 
shorthand  when  she  returned  in  September  with  the 
privilege  of  trying  to  bring  up  the  work  in  which  she 
had  failed,  so  she  could  take  an  examination  in  it  as 
there  would  be  no  class  in  it  until  the  second  semester. 

September  found  Amelia  again  in  school,  but  so 
changed  in  her  dress  that  she  could  scarcely  be  rec- 
ognized. The  shorthand  teacher  came  to  me  to  tell  me 
of  Amelia.  As  soon  as  school  had  closed  in  June, 
Amelia  " hunted"  herself  a  job.  " Hunted"  is  the 
term,  I  think.  She  not  only  got  the  job,  but  she  made 
good  in  it,  and  was  now  again  in  school  clothed  in 


CONSCIOUSNESS  OF  POWER  147 

simple,  becoming  garments  that  her  own  efforts  had  pur- 
chased. 

And  then  the  shorthand  teacher  said:  "And 
Amelia  says  she  is  going  to  graduate  in  June.  Poor 
child!  She  can't  do  it,  but  she  says  she's  got  to  do  it, 
so  I  don't  know  what  she  may  do,  but  graduation  for 
her  this  year  looks  to  me  like  an  impossibility.  There's 
last  semester's  shorthand  to  be  made  up,  and  I  doubt 
if  she  can  carry  the  shorthand  of  the  present  term.  But 
I've  promised  to  give  her  an  examination  on  last  se- 
mester's work  whenever  she  is  ready,  though  I  do  not 
see  how  she  can  pass  it  for  she  was  very  poor  in  it  last 
semester.  It  is  true  that  she  has  been  doing  shorthand 
work  all  summer,  but  of  a  very  simple  kind.  Still,  it 
would  help  her  some.  Poor  child,  I  wish  I  could  help 
her.  She  is  so  gritty  and  determined.'* 

The  principal  told  me  of  Amelia.  How  she  had  come 
to  him  with  her  plans  for  graduating  and  how  he  had 
tried  to  help  her  to  see  it  was  an  impossibility  for  her  to 
graduate  the  coming  June;  how  she  refused  to  see  it  as 
an  impossibility  and  replied :  "It's  got  to  be  done.  I've 
got  to  do  it.  This  is  my  last  year  in  high  school.  Please 
let  me  try  to  do  the  work  as  I  have  planned  and  I'll  do 
it.  It's  got  to  be  done.  I've  got  to  do  it." 

He  could  not  refuse  opportunity  to  so  earnest  a  little 
body,  so  opened  the  way  for  her  to  do  all  that  she  might 
prove  able  to  do,  with  the  assurance  of  graduation  if  she 
did  the  work.  He  felt  confident  that  she  could  not  do  the 
work  required  to  complete  the  course,  so  cautioned  her 
not  to  take  it  too  seriously  if  she  found  herself  unable  to 
do  all  she  had  planned. 

But  she  was  not  thinking  of  failing,  and  replied: 
"I'm  going  to  do  all  the  work.  It's  got  to  be  done." 


148  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

Long  before  the  close  of  the  second  semester  all 
knew  that  Amelia  would  graduate.  Amelia  had  known 
it  all  the  time,  but  the  rest  of  us  came  to  know  it  long 
before  commencement  time. 

How  happy  Amelia  was  all  the  latter  part  of  the 
year,  how  her  face  beamed!  And  her  hair,  that  was  a 
somewhat  tously,  krinkly  mass,  when  she  entered  high 
school,  was  now  an  adornment,  shimmery,  silky,  well- 
kept,  naturally  wavy  hair,  tastefully,  loosely,  wound 
about  her  head  in  school-girl  fashion.  All  the  social 
functions  that  marked  the  close  of  school  were  a  joy  to 
her. 

As  she  stepped  forward  to  receive  her  diploma  com- 
mencement night,  the  large  audience  did  not  know,  but 
the  superintendent,  principal  and  teachers  knew,  that 
she  who  stood  at  that  moment  taking  her  diploma  into 
her  hand,  had  done  the  greatest  amount  of  work,  work 
of  fine  quality,  of  any  student  in  the  high  school  that 
year. 

Amelia  said:  "It's  got  to  be  done.  I've  got  to  do 
it."  When  in  behalf  of  the  Board  of  Education,  the 
diploma  was  given  her,  by  that  act  we  said:  "You've 
done  it,  Amelia." 

Amelia  is  today  a  successful  typist,  holding  a  good 
position. 

Amelia  awakened,  but  I  do  not  know  how  she  came  to 
a  consciousness  of  increased  power.  The  school  gave 
her  every  opportunity  for  the  accomplishment  of  all 
that  "had  to  be  done."  What  if  the  school  had  not 
given  her  opportunity? 

I  would  not  have  anyone  think  that  we  permitted 
every  scholar  that  wished  to  "load  up"  with  a  heavier 
program  of  studies  than  is  regularly  provided  for  in  the 
course  of  study,  to  do  it,  for  we  did  not  permit  any  such 


CONSCIOUSNESS  OF  POWER  149 

thing.  The  greatest  care  was  exercised  by  the  principal 
in  making  out  the  program  of  studies  for  each  scholar. 
Once  in  a  while  a  scholar  was  permitted  to  take  fewer 
than  the  regular  number  of  studies  for  reasons  that  the 
principal  considered  justified  the  lighter  work.  Many 
scholars  who  were  regularly  employed  earning  their 
living  had  the  privilege  of  coming  to  the  high 
school  for  one  lesson,  two  lessons  or  more,  being  present 
for  recitations  only.  But  light  work  was  never  per- 
mitted to  be  made  an  excuse  for  wasting  time.  The 
whole  thought  was  to  make  the  school  meet  the  needs  of 
all  the  scholars. 

Sometimes  it  seemed  wise  to  give  very  heavy  work  in 
order  to  secure  undivided  attention  to  school  work. 
There  are  those  who  do  their  best  work  when  the  work 
presses  heavily  to  the  exclusion  of  other  things.  Ordi- 
narily, where  a  student  failed  to  pass  in  some  one  of  his 
four  studies,  the  regular  number  for  one  semester,  he  was 
not  permitted  to  try  to  carry  five  to  even  up  what  he  had 
lost  until  he  had  made  a  good  record  in  the  regular  num- 
ber of  studies  for  one  semester ;  but  now  and  then  there 
were  cases  where  it  seemed  best  to  assign  an  extra  study 
even  where  there  had  been  failure  to  pass  in  some  one 
study  the  preceding  semester.  This,  however,  was  never 
done  without  due  consideration.  Too  light  work  is  some- 
times the  cause  of  failures  to  do  good  work;  too  heavy 
work  may  cause  failure.  Assignments  of  subjects  for  a 
term  or  semester  should  be  made  with  as  complete  a 
knowledge  as  possible  of  the  scholar's  ability  and  of 
the  probability,  sometimes  of  the  possibility  of  his  using 
his  ability  for  the  accomplishment  of  the  work. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

ON  THE  WAY  TO  AND  FROM  SCHOOL- 
GATHERINGS  UNDER  SCHOOL  NAMES 

At  one  of  our  school  board  meetings  one  evening,  one 
member  of  our  board  who  was  at  that  time  a  judge  of 
one  of  the  courts,  asked  me  what  authority  I  claimed 
over  the  conduct  of  school  children  on  the  way  to  and 
from  school;  and  at  other  times  than  during  school 
hours. 

I  replied  that  I  knew  no  law  that  stated  my  author- 
ity on  the  way  to  and  from  school;  but  that  I  had 
always  claimed  the  right  to  demand  conduct  on  the  way 
to  and  from  school  that  would  in  no  way  interfere  with 
the  interests  of  the  school;  and  that  I  held  it  my  right 
to  correct,  even  to  administering  punishment,  for  con- 
duct on  the  way  that  interfered  with  the  best  interests 
of  the  school ;  that  after  pupils  had  reported  at  home,  I 
claimed  no  responsibility  for  their  conduct  until  they 
started  again  on  the  way  to  school,  unless  after  re- 
porting to  their  homes  they  came  into  the  street  to  in- 
terfere in  some  way  with  other  school  children  who  were 
on  their  way  to  or  from  school;  that  sometimes  a  boy 
hoping  to  escape  school  control  for  his  acts,  would  hurry 
home  and  report,  then  go  out  into  the  street  and  fight 
some  other  boy  on  his  way  home  from  school ;  that  when 
this  happened,  I  always  claimed  the  right  to  demand  of 
the  parents  that  they  see  to  it  that  their  boy  or  their 
children  did  not  interfere  with  school  children  on  the 
way  to  and  from  school.  In  other  words,  I  claimed  the 
right  to  hold  the  parents  responsible  for  their  children's 
conduct  after  their  children  had  reported  at  home,  in- 
sofar as  it  affected  the  schools. 

150 


AWAY  FROM  SCHOOL  151 

The  judge  replied  that  any  court  would  sustain  my 
stand  in  the  matter,  that  my  line  of  action  was  per- 
fectly safe. 

As  to  the  second  part  of  his  question,  "When  not  at 
school?"  I  made  another  reply.  I  answered  that  when 
scholars,  more  especially  high  school  scholars,  but  ap- 
plying the  term  scholars  to  both  elementary  and  high 
school  members,  were  gathered  together  under  school 
class  names,  or  school  society  names,  or  school  club 
names,  or  simply  as  bodies  or  groups  of  school  pupils 
or  scholars,  since  their  activities  were  considered  as 
functions  of  the  school,  as  superintendent  of  the  schools 
it  was  my  right  and  duty  to  require  all  of  these  various 
groups  of  young  people  using  the  name  of  some  school 
organization,  to  conduct  themselves  in  accordance  with 
the  wishes  of  the  school  authorities,  the  same  as  if  they 
were  in  school  during  the  six  hours  of  the  school  day. 
This  also  was  said  to  be  a  fair,  safe  position  to  hold. 

I  never  had  a  parent  to  object  to  my  assuming 
authority  over  the  conduct  on  the  way  to  and  from 
school  as  stated.  In  accordance  with  these  views  of  the 
school's  rights,  the  conduct  was  always  regulated. 

This  gives  the  school  a  restraining  power  that  has  a 
wonderful  influence  on  the  conduct  on  the  way  to  and 
from  school;  and  that  keeps  the  rowdy  element  from 
gaining  the  ascendency  in  the  gatherings  held  under 
various  organizations  of  the  school. 

A  number  of  years  ago  I  made  a  mistake  in  punish- 
ing a  boy  for  an  offense  when  the  boy  was  wholly  re- 
sponsible to  his  parents  under  my  own  statement  of  re- 
sponsibility. The  case  was  as  follows:  One  morning, 
the  principal  of  one  of  our  elementary  schools  phoned 

me  that  Alfred  G had  unmercifully  beaten  up 

one  of  the  boys  on  the  way  home  from  school  the  after- 


152  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

noon  before,  saying  she  would  like  my  help  in  straight- 
ening up  the  affair. 

I  replied  that  I  would  be  at  her  building  as  soon  as 
I  could  leave  my  office,  for  her  to  do  nothing  until  I 
came. 

A  little  later,  when  I  called  at  the  school,  the  prin- 
cipal brought  the  two  boys  into  the  office  and  in  their 
presence  told  me  of  the  "fight"  giving  all  the  informa- 
tion about  it  she  had  been  able  to  gather.  This  prin- 
cipal had  always  been  very  careful  in  looking  into  any 
trouble  that  might  come  up,  and  very  trustworthy  in 
her  statements  about  any  happening,  so  on  this  occasion 
I  received  her  statement  of  the  case  as  about  correct; 
but  to  get  the  facts  as  near  as  possible  at  first-hand, 
each  boy  was  given  the  opportunity  to  tell  his  story,  to 
give  his  version  of  the  affair. 

In  the  main,  the  three  stories  or  accounts  of  the  fight 
agreed.  One  boy  said  that  for  several  days  he  had  been 
trying  to  keep  out  of  the  way  of  the  other  boy  but,  said 
he:  "Yesterday,  goin'  home,  he  caught  me  and  pounded 
me  awful." 

Anyone  looking  at  this  boy  would  believe  every  word 
he  said  for  he  was  a  "well-pounded  up"  specimen. 

The  other  boy  said  that  he  had  been  waiting  for  a 
chance  to  "lick"  the  first  boy,  and  said  he:  "I  caught 
him  goin'  home  yesterday  after  school,  and  surely  I 
licked  him  a  plenty." 

The  principal  said  "going  home  from  school,"  the 
boys  both  said  "goin'  home"  so  there  seemed  no  dis- 
agreement on  this  point. 

The  boy  who  had  done  the  "licking"  was  a  sort  of 
a  bully,  a  fighter  feared  by  many  boys  of  his  neighbor- 
hood, and  had  given  not  a  little  trouble  by  fighting  on 
the  way  home  from  school.  Everything  had  been  done 


AWAY  FROM  SCHOOL  153 

to  keep  down  his  fighting  except  to  administer  corporal 
punishment.  So  I  did  not  waste  much  time,  but  said 
to  him  that  as  he  still  continued  to  fight  after  he  had 
been  corrected,  time  and  again  for  it,  I  was  going  to 
give  him  a  strapping,  and  that  he  should  remember  after 
this  that  every  time  he  fought  some  boy  on  the  way  to  or 
from  school,  he  would  have  to  meet  me  and  that  the  pun- 
ishment, whatever  it  might  be,  would  not  be  light. 

I  then  gave  him  a  stinging  strapping,  one  that  no  boy 
could  laugh  at  or  would  care  to  have  repeated. 

This  boy  as  I  have  said,  was  a  sort  of  bully.  He 
was  in  the  sixth  grade,  but  was  large,  and  stronger  than 
many  boys  in  the  higher  grades.  On  former  occasions, 
we  had  been  in  touch  with  his  home  people  and  had 
found  them  helpless  when  it  came  to  controlling  the 
boy,  so  this  time,  I  took  charge  of  him  without  notifying 
them. 

After  the  boy  had  washed  his  face,  and  straightened 
himself  up,  the  principal  returned  him  to  his  room. 

I  thought  then  that  the  affair  was  settled,  and  that  I 
should  hear  no  more  about  it;  but  that  evening  I  was 
called  to  the  phone,  and  a  voice  said,  "This  is  Mrs. 

Q 1  and  I  want  to  know  why  you  whipped  my 

boy  today. "  I  explained  what  had  been  done  by  her 
boy,  and  told  her  just  why  I  had  "whipped"  him. 

She  replied :  ' '  But  my  boy  was  not  on  the  way  home 
from  school,  he  had  been  home  and  had  put  on  his  old 
clothes  and  was  out  playing  when  the  other  boy  came 
along  and  my  boy  licked  him.  The  other  boy  had  been 
home  too,  and  had  been  sent  over  to  the  grocery,  and 
was  going  home  from  there  when  he  got  licked." 

Now  I  knew  the  woman  and  had  no  occasion  to  doubt 
her  words.  So  I  replied  that  both  boys  had  spoken  of 
being  on  the  way  home,  and  had  said  that  it  was  after 


154  YOUE  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

school;  that  neither  one  had  said  he  had  been  home; 
that  had  I  known  they  had  been  home,  I  would  not  have 
had  anything  to  do  with  their  fighting;  that  I  had  all 
I  cared  to  look  after  without  mixing  up  in  fights  that 
were  none  of  my  business. 

She  listened  to  what  I  had  to  say,  and  then  replied : 
"Mr.  Stableton,  that's  all  right.  It  won't  do  him  any 
harm,  the  licking  won't.  So  it's  all  right,"  And  hung 
up  the  'phone. 

The  fact  is,  she  was  really  pleased  that  he  had  been 
punished  for  his  street  fighting,  even  though  she  seemed 
at  first  to  resent  my  doing  it. 

Her  statement  of  the  case  was  correct.  The  boys 
had  both  been  home.  It  was  not  my  business,  and  I 
should  never  have  made  it  my  business  had  I  been  suffi- 
ciently careful  in  the  first  place  in  getting  the  facts. 
However,  it  taught  me  a  lesson,  the  importance  of  being 
certain  of  all  the  facts  in  such  cases  before  assuming 
authority  to  administer  punishment. 

The  boy  continued  in  school,  but  his  fighting  was  a 
thing  of  the  past.  It  was  good  for  the  boy  that  I  pun- 
ished him ;  but  it  was  bad  for  me  to  be  so  careless  as  to 
punish  a  boy  when  his  offense  was  none  of  my  business. 

There  is  no  other  authority  that  can  so  well  control 
fighting,  gang  attacks,  bad  language,  and  many  other 
offenses  on  the  way  to  and  from  school  as  can  the  school. 
The  vigilance  of  the  teacher  and  the  principal,  together 
with  the  certain  support  of  the  superintendent  in 
bringing  all  offenders  to  account,  holds  these  offenses  at 
the  minimum.  The  very  certainty  that  the  principal 
"will  get  on  to  it"  as  the  boys  say,  causes  many  a 
"would-be  offense  "to  be  put  off  until  Saturday  and  by 
that  time  it  is  forgotten. 


AWAY  FROM  SCHOOL  155 

Policemen  usually  regard  schoolboy  fights  and  most 
of  the  offenses  of  which  we  are  taking  notice,  beneath 
their  dignity,  as  too  trivial;  but  school  teachers  know 
that  the  lives  of  some  school  children  would  be  made 
miserable  through  fear  of  some  individual  boy,  some- 
times girl,  or  gang,  on  the  way  to  and  from  school  did 
not  the  school  exercise  control.  The  timid,  in  some  cases, 
could  not  in  safety  go  to  and  from  school  without  some 
other  protection,  did  not  the  school  protection  make  safe 
the  way. 

I  remember  once  when  speaking  of  the  responsibility 
for  conduct  at  school  gatherings,  before  a  county  asso- 
ciation of  teachers,  one  teacher  asked :  ' '  Mr.  Stableton, 
if  your  high  school  senior  class  was  to  give  a  party  some 
evening  at  a  private  home,  would  you  consider  it  any 
business  of  yours  whether  or  not  the  members  of  the 
class  conducted  themselves  in  a  proper  manner?" 

I  replied  that  I  most  certainly  would  consider  the 
conduct  of  the  seniors  at  a  party  held  in  the  name  of 
the  senior  class  of  our  school  my  business  as  head  of  the 
school;  that  a  permit  to  use  the  class  name  would  be 
granted  only  where  there  was  assurance  that  the  con- 
duct at  the  party,  the  character  of  the  party,  would  be 
such  as  the  school  would  approve;  and  that  no  high 
school  teachers  would  act  as  chaperones  without  the 
sanction  of  the  high  school  principal  or  superintendent ; 
that  the  sanction  of  the  principal  or  superintendent 
would  be  given  only  when  the  party  would  be  of  the 
kind  to  reflect  credit  on  the  school. 

Our  high  school  teachers  were  asked  not  to  chap- 
erone  parties  of  high  school  students  or  other  young 
people  except  those  that  had  received  the  approval  of 
the  high  school  principal  or  superintendent.  This  re- 
quest was  first  made  because  some  " outside  of  school" 


166  YOUE  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

parties  chaperoned  by  high  school  teachers  had  not  been 
properly  conducted,  and  the  fact  that  high  school 
teachers  were  the  chaperones,  had  caused  the  high 
school  to  be  held  responsible  for  them  when,  in  fact,  the 
high  school  was  in  no  way  connected  with  them  except 
that  high  school  teachers  had  chaperoned  them. 

It  is  not  asking  much  of  high  school  teachers  to  ask 
them  to  chaperone  only  approved  school  parties  and  it 
shuts  out  confusion  of  responsibility. 

I  wish  here  to  give  a  little  history  reaching  back  to 
my  second  year  in  Bloomington,  as  I  think  it  will  make 
clear  the  plan  under  which  high  school  parties  and 
gatherings  of  all  kinds  were  held.  For  eighteen  years, 
the  plan  has  worked  admirably. 

During  my  second  year  in  Bloomington  we  had 
some  unfortunate  happenings  connected  with  our  high 
school  parties.  At  that  time  there  was  no  attempt  made 
to  control  them,  and  as  a  result  parties  of  various  kinds 
were  held  in  the  name  of  some  class  or  other  organiza- 
tion of  the  school. 

These  parties  were  held  in  halls  or  private  homes, 
and  while  bearing  the  name  of  the  high  school,  they 
were  wholly  from  under  the  control  or  direction  of  the 
school  authorities.  Objectionable  characters  from  out- 
side the  school  for  whose  conduct  the  school  had  no 
right  to  assume  responsibility,  but  for  whose  conduct 
the  school  was  held  responsible  by  an  uninformed 
public,  were  often  present.  The  whole  situation  was 
most  unfortunate  for  the  school. 

Finally  a  party  was  held  at  the  home  of  one  of  the 
junior  girls, — what  I  would  call  an  old-time  "class 
fight," — that  caused  the  members  of  the  board  of  ed- 
ucation to  say  when  consulted,  that  the  board  would 
stand  as  a  rock  back  of  any  effort  we  should  make  to 


AWAY  FROM  SCHOOL  157 

bring  the  social  affairs  of  classes  or  organizations  bear- 
ing the  name  of  the  high  school  under  our  control.  At 
the  party  mentioned,  a  number  of  the  senior  class, 
backed  by  the  rabble  of  the  street,  and  I  might  say,  at 
the  invitation  of  the  high  school  girl,  a  junior,  at  whose 
home  the  junior  party  was  held,  for  she  had  said  to 
some  of  the  seniors  the  day  before  that  she  did  not  care 
if  they  tore  the  house  down,  caused  serious  trouble.  The 
fact  was  she  wanted  "a  big  time,"  and  they  most  cer- 
tainly had  it.  Some  of  the  windows  of  the  house  were 
broken,  the  cellar  was  despoiled  of  a  quantity  of  canned 
grape-juice,  and  the  whole  affair  was  rowdy  in  the  ex- 
treme. 

First  the  matter  was  placed  before  the  board.  I 
took  this  precaution  from  the  fact  that  the  privilege  or, 
as  some  put  it,  the  right  to  hold  class  parties  at  private 
homes,  without  the  consent  of  the  school  authorities, 
had  been  established  by  a  precedent  of  so  many  years 
standing  that  in  attempting  to  make  a  change,  I  felt 
that  I  must  first  be  sure  of  not  undertaking  more  than 
the  board  would  grant  me  the  authority  to  carry  out. 

The  senior  class  was  called  together  and  with  the 
high  school  principal  present,  the  superintendent  talked 
over  the  situation  with  the  class.  Nothing  unkind  or 
upbraiding  was  said,  in  fact  the  opposite.  He  stated 
that  it  was  not  flattery  to  say  that  the  senior  class  rep- 
resented the  best  selected  group  of  young  people  in  the 
city,  and  that  no  better  young  people  could  be  found 
in  any  city;  they  were  those  who  had  been  sifted 
through  almost  twelve  years  of  school  training,  and  that 
their  very  willingness  to  hold  on  to  the  school  work,  and 
their  determination  to  complete  the  high  school  course, 
marked  them  as  among  those  who  would  in  a  few  years 
be  leaders  in  the  community. 


158  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

"But  today,"  said  he,  "we  are  in  trouble,  not  be- 
cause any  one  has  so  planned,  but  because  the  spirit  of 
fun  has  carried  some  of  us  to  where  our  fun  has  tres- 
passed on  the  rights  of  others.  It  has  become  rowdy- 
ism. Our  school,  in  the  eyes  of  the  public,  is  disgraced, 
and  it  is  being  questioned  by  some  whether  or  not  a 
high  school  is  worthy  the  financial  support  of  the  com- 
munity when  such  things  are  done  in  its  name." 

After  setting  forth  the  situation  as  clearty  as  he 
could,  he  stated  that  the  woman  at  whose  home  the 
strife  had  occurred,  was  going  to  enter  suit  if  the  dam- 
age to  the  property  was  not  made  good  at  once.  He  ad- 
vised the  class  to  appoint  a  committee  to  wait  on  the 
woman  to  arrange  to  make  good  the  damage.  This  was 
done  and  an  adjustment  was  made  on  the  payment  of  a 
few  dollars  by  the  senior  class. 

When  this  trouble  was  fully  settled,  the  high  school 
principal  and  the  superintendent  again  called  the  senior 
class  together,  and  then  the  junior  class,  and  explained 
to  each  class  separately,  what  would  be  expected  of  them 
in  the  school  social  affairs  in  the  future,  and  how  an  at- 
tempt would  be  made  to  prevent  trouble.  He  read  the 
rules  instituted  at  this  time.  These  rules  stated  that  no 
school  parties,  school  class  parties,  or  gatherings  of  any 
school  organizations,  could  be  held  except  with  the  con- 
sent of  the  high  school  principal  or  the  superintendent 
of  the  schools;  and  that  permission  would  be  granted 
only  when  there  was  assurance  that  the  affair  would  be 
conducted  in  keeping  with  the  best  interests  of  the 
school,  as  determined  by  the  high  school  principal  or 
superintendent. 

After  reading  these  new  rules,  which  made  a  com- 
plete change  in  the  control  of  the  social  affairs  of  the 
school,  he  explained  quite  fully  the  spirit  and  manner 


AWAY  FKOM  SCHOOL  159 

in  which  the  rules  would  be  administered.  He  said  first 
that  he  believed  in  school  parties,  class  parties,  more, 
rather  than  less,  social  life  for  high  school  scholars  than 
was  then  in  the  school;  that  he  considered  the  social 
life  of  the  high  school  scholars  a  very  important  part 
of  their  education  just  as  important  as  algebra,  history, 
or  other  studies  that  were  recognized  as  essential  parts 
of  a  high  school  education ;  that  the  superintendent,  the 
high  school  principal,  and  the  high  school  teachers, 
would  give  every  possible  aid  to  make  the  class  parties 
and  other  parties  of  the  high  school  the  most  beautiful, 
the  most  enjoyable  of  any  parties  in  the  city;  that  the 
intent  was  to  give  the  social  life  of  the  school  its  proper 
recognition  as  a  vital  part  of  the  school  work,  and  to 
take  it  out  of  the  class  to  which  it  had  so  long  been  con- 
signed, the  class  of  attendant  evils,  chronic  evils  that 
could  be  doctored  but  could  not  be  cured ;  to  dignify  it 
so  that  no  school  program  could  be  planned  that  did  not 
give  to  the  social  life  of  the  school  due  thought  and  con- 
sideration. 

The  high  school  principal  spoke  along  the  same  lines. 

The  superintendent  then  said  that  it  would  greatly 
please  the  high  school  principal  and  himself  if  the  class 
would  vote  as  a  class  to  obey  the  new  rules;  that  there 
would  be  no  unkind  feeling  on  the  part  of  the  principal 
and  superintendent,  if,  after  discussing  the  rules  in  a 
class  meeting,  the  class  should  not  take  such  action ;  but 
that  the  rule  would  be  enforced  just  the  same  except 
that  the  class  by  taking  such  action  might  save  some 
impulsive  members  from  doing  things  that  would  be  un- 
fortunate for  them;  that  it  was  in  the  class'  power  to 
hold  back  impulsive  members,  good,  likable,  bright,  but 
impulsive  scholars,  from  violations  of  the  rules  that 
might  for  the  best  interests  of  the  school,  cause  them  to 


160  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

suffer  even  to  the  extent  of  losing  their  places  in  school. 

Then  turning  to  the  class  president,  the  superin- 
tendent asked  him  to  take  charge  of  the  class  while  the 
superintendent  and  high  school  principal  withdrew,  that 
the  class  might  discuss  the  superintendent's  proposition. 

In  a  few  minutes,  a  committee  from  the  class  brought 
the  class  president's  invitation  to  the  superintendent 
and  the  high  school  principal  to  return  to  the  class 
meeting.  As  they  entered  the  meeting,  they  were  greeted 
with  a  hearty  welcome.  The  president  then  said  he  was 
pleased  to  report  that  the  class  had  voted  to  obey  the 
new  rules  and  to  support  them. 

The  superintendent  and  principal  thanked  the  class 
for  the  action  taken,  and  again  promised  that  everything 
possible  would  be  done  to  make  the  remaining  months 
of  their  closing  year,  socially,  the  best  they  had 
known. 

The  senior  class  meeting  was  followed  by  a  junior 
class  meeting  where  the  new  rules  were  explained  and 
the  same  proposition  of  cooperation  put  before  the  class 
that  had  been  considered  by  the  seniors.  The  juniors 
voted  to  obey  the  new  rules  and  thus  gave  the  weight  of 
the  class'  influence  in  favor  of  them. 

While  we  had  no  class  organizations  below  the  junior 
class,  we  thought  it  best  that  the  new  rules  making  some- 
what radical  changes  in  the  social  affairs  of  the  school, 
should  be  presented  and  explained  to  the  entire  body  of 
scholars.  This  was  done,  but  the  scholars  other  than 
seniors  and  juniors  were  not  given  opportunity  to  take 
any  action  on  endorsing  them.  When  seniors  and  juniors 
lead,  the  scholars  of  lower  class  rank  readily  follow. 

Now  it  was  our  part  to  make  good  in  helping  with 
the  social  affairs  as  never  before.  This  senior  class  that 
had  set  the  example  of  voting  to  support  the  high  school 


AWAY  FROM  SCHOOL  161 

rules,  was  given  the  most  beautiful  Senior-Junior  Party 
that  had  ever  been  given  a  class.  It  was  important  that 
the  new  order  of  things  should  make  a  great  impression 
as  something  worth  while,  then  the  following  of  it  up 
year  after  year  would  fix  it  as  a  habit  of  the  school. 
The  Junior-Senior  Party  was  made  a  striking  affair,  but 
the  Senior-Junior  Party  was  the  party  of  the  year.  All 
other  school  social  affairs  were  given  their  share  of  at- 
tention, so  that  at  the  close  of  the  year  the  scholars  felt 
that  the  change  had  brought  them  enlarged  pleasures. 

The  following  September,  the  senior  class,  after 
hearing  the  rules  read  and  an  explanation  given,  voted 
to  obey  the  rules.  The  junior  class  then  took  the  same 
action. 

This  presenting  the  rules  to  the  senior  and  junior 
classes  and  asking  them  as  classes  to  pledge  to  obey  and 
support  the  rules,  asking,  I  say,  but  in  no  way  offering 
any  compulsion,  became  a  regular  custom,  so  that  each 
September  from  then  till  now,  it  has  been  done.  Never 
once  has  a  class  failed  to  give  its  pledge,  and  never  once 
has  a  class  broken  its  pledge  or  even  wavered  in  holding 
to  it.  Only  in  a  very  few  instances  have  individuals 
broken  the  class  pledge,  but  in  these  cases  the  classes 
have  given  the  offenders  no  support,  no  sympathy. 

Once  when  two  or  three  scholars  in  our  school  had 
committed  an  offense  that  was  a  violation  of  their  class 
pledge,  a  schoolman  from  another  city  asked:  "If  two 
or  three  members  of  one  of  the  classes  that  has  pledged 
itself  to  support  the  rules,  have  broken  them,  what  does 
the  class  pledge  amount  to  anyway?" 

I  replied:  "While  it  is  true  that  two  or  three  indi- 
vidual members  have  broken  the  class  pledge,  the  fact 
that  their  class  gives  them  no  support,  no  sympathy,  but 
looks  on  them  as  having  proved  false  to  the  class,  makes 


162  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

their  offense  a  very  simple  thing  to  deal  with.  Not  to  be 
recognized  by  their  class  for  wrongdoing  takes  away  all 
glory  and  adds  bitterness  to  the  punishment  of  the 
offenders.  Oh,  with  us  the  class  pledge  has  amounted  to 
everything."  Nor  did  I  overstate  the  facts. 

When  this  spirit  moves  the  seniors  and  juniors  it  is 
contagious  and  the  other  scholars  follow  in  the  lead. 
With  this  spirit  in  the  high  school,  the  social  and  other 
affairs  that  rightly  come  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
school  can  be  managed  in  a  very  satisfactory  manner, 
and  with  but  little  worry  so  far  as  the  conduct  of  the 
scholars  is  concerned  if  the  responsibility  for  such  affairs 
is  held  largely  in  the  hands  of  the  principal  and  the 
superintendent.  But  it  is  necessary  for  the  principal 
and  superintendent  from  time  to  time  to  make  clear  to 
the  teachers  what  is  expected  of  them  in  order  that  they 
may  not  unintentionally  complicate  what  otherwise  are 
very  simple  matters  of  administration. 


CHAPTER  XIV 
ATTRACTION  OF  THE  OPPOSITE  SEX 

Youth  is  the  time  of  life  too  when  the  attraction  of 
the  opposite  sex  comes  to  many  boys  and  girls  with  the 
strong  pull  of  a  mighty  magnet.  I  think  it  was 
Samantha  Allen  who  said  that  she  always  knew  that 
when  love  came  to  Sweet  Cicely  it  would  go  hard  with 
her ;  and  it  did.  So  it  is  with  many  boys  and  girls,  ' '  it 
goes  hard  with  them. "  It  is  perfectly  normal  that  it  is 
so.  We  are  told  today  by  some  physicians  that  it  is  not 
necessary  that  all  children  should  have  measles,  and  a 
number  of  other  childhood  diseases  that  in  the  past  we 
thought  all  children  were  heir  to;  but  no  psychologist 
has  ever  yet  told  us  that  there  is  any  way  to  prevent  the 
attraction  between  the  opposite  sexes  at  this  time  in  life. 

The  other  day  a  young  man  hailed  me  as  I  was 
leaving  high  school  and  offered  me  a  ride  home  in  his 
auto.  As  we  started  on  the  way  home,  he  said  to  me: 
"My  little  boy  will  be  six  years  old  next  July,  so  will 
be  ready  for  school  in  September/' 

This  was  not  a  startling  announcement,  but  it  caused 
me  to  think  back  not  a  great  many  years  before  when  the 
father  of  this  young  man,  then  one  of  the  leading  busi- 
ness men  of  the  city,  spoke  to  me  as  I  was  passing  his 
place  of  business  and  said:  "Mr.  Stableton,  I  don't 
know  whether  or  not  high  schools  are  good  things.  I'm 
sure  the  ward  schools  are  all  right,  but  I'm  not  so  sure 
that  high  schools  are  worth  while."  I  listened  very  at- 
tentively to  what  further  he  had  to  say.  "Now  there  is 
my  boy, ' '  said  he,  * '  He  did  fine  work  in  ward  school,  and 
tended  to  business;  but  as  soon  as  he  entered  the  high 
school,  he  wanted  long  pants,  to  run  with  the  girls,  and 

163 


164  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

to  go  to  parties,  so  I  don't  know  whether  high  schools 
are  good  things  or  not." 

All  I  could  say  was  that  he  must  remember  boys 
cease  to  be  boys  and  begin  to  be  men  at  about  a  certain 
age,  whether  in  high  school  or  not. 

As  I  sat  with  the  boy  in  his  car  and  heard  of  his 
boy's  being  almost  ready  for  entering  school,  I  could 
but  think  that  the  father's  concern  over  the  very 
natural,  normal  characteristics  of  the  development  of 
youth,  had  not  in  any  way  stayed  the  boy's  onward 
movement  from  boyhood  to  youth,  from  youth  to  early 
manhood,  and  to  fatherhood. 

Those  of  us  who  live  in  the  school  with  boys  and 
girls  of  this  time  of  life,  must  understand  that  all  these 
outcroppings  of  a  strong  instinct  are  not  evil,  however 
silly  and  foolish  they  may  sometimes  appear;  and  that 
it  is  ours  to  guard  and  nurse  them  through  the  first 
attack.  As  a  rule,  if  there  is  a  second  attack  a  little 
later  common  sense  plays  a  part. 

How  prone  fathers  and  mothers  are  to  forget,  was 
brought  to  my  mind  one  day  when  a  father  and  mother 
called  to  talk  about  their  boy.  He  was  in  the  throes  of 
his  first  "love-sickness."  There  was  nothing  at  school 
in  his  conduct  that  was  giving  the  school  any  concern 
except  that  his  grades,  while  not  failures,  were  lower 
than  they  should  be.  But  his  parents  knew  his  whole 
thought  was  centered  on  a  girl.  The  "phone"  calls 
back  and  forth  on  their  home  phone  had  revealed  the 
situation  to  them.  The  father  was  very  indignant  and 
out  of  patience  with  him,  and  said  the  boy  had  no  right 
to  be  thinking  of  girls  at  this  time  in  life;  that  he  had 
more  important  work  at  hand.  The  father,  indeed,  was 
much  stirred  up ;  but  the  mother  remembered,  and 
smiled  and  said:  "Papa,  you  needn't  say  anything, 


SEX  ATTRACTION  165 

when  you  were  no  older  than  our  boy  is  and  I  was  only 
fifteen — you  were  just  as  silly  about  me  as  our  boy  is 
about  this  girl,  and  you  wrote  me  notes  all  the  time." 
The  discussion  or  conference  soon  ended. 

Here  is  an  unusual  case,  call  it  what  you  will : 
The  boy  was  a  member  of  our  high  school,  about 
seventeen  years  of  age,  apparently  finely-developed 
physically,  mentally  and  morally,  a  fine  athlete  and  of 
fine  carriage  and  bearing;  the  pride  of  his  home  and 
admired  by  all  who  knew  him;  and  as  might  be  ex- 
pected, a  great  favorite  with  the  girls.  To  put  it  in 
common  phrase,  he  fell  desperately  in  love  with  one  of 
the  high  school  girls ;  she  was  equally  smitten  with  him ; 
but,  as  there  was  nothing  in  their  relations  at  school 
that  could  be  criticised,  I  took  no  interest  in  the  affair, 
supposing  it  was  one  of  those  infatuations  that,  like 
some  childhood  disease  would  run  its  course  in  a 
few  weeks  and  that  all  it  needed  was  to  give  nature  time 
to  apply  the  proper  restorative;  but  not  so  with  his 
people.  They  believed  it  best  to  oppose  his  fancy;  not 
by  unkindness,  for  he  was  the  idol  of  his  home,  but  by 
talking  with  him,  they  tried  to  break  the  infatuation; 
but  this  seemed  only  to  add  fuel  to  the  flame  until  the 
flood  of  emotions  was  too  great,  and  he  was,  apparently, 
"beside  himself. " 

One  morning,  I  missed  the  young  man  and  his  two 
sisters  from  school.  The  work  of  the  morning  had 
scarcely  begun  when  I  was  called  into  the  corridor  and 
informed  that  the  young  man  had  run  away  from  home ; 
that  his  love  affair  was  the  cause  of  it ;  that  he  had  gone 
west  over  the  II.  P.  railroad,  riding  on  the  blind  end  of 
a  baggage  car;  and  that  he  had  left  a  note,  written  in 
his  girl  friend's  handwriting,  telling  why  he  had  gone. 
It  was  the  middle  of  January  and  the  thermometer  reg- 


106  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

istered  twenty-five  degrees  below  zero.  His  parents 
feared  he  would  be  frozen,  and  had  wired  the  different 
stations  west  on  the  road  but  had  received  no  word. 
They  said  they  knew  the  girl  would  hear  from  him,  and 
asked  me  to  find  out,  if  possible,  from  her  where  he  was. 

The  second  morning,  when  she  came  in,  I  asked  her 
if  she  had  received  any  word  from  him.  She  replied 
that  she  had,  that  he  was  in  a  western  town  and  all 
right.  She  was  very  nervous  and  excited,  so  much  so 
that  I  thought  she  had  not  given  me  a  correct  report. 
That  forenoon  our  county  supervisor  of  the  poor  re- 
ceived a  telegram  from  the  supervisor  of  a  county  farm 
farther  west,  saying  that  a  young  man  from  our  county, 
with  both  feet  badly  frozen,  had  been  taken  to  the 
county  poor-house  in  that  county,  and  asking  what 
should  be  done  with  him.  It  was  immediately  inferred 
that  he  was  the  boy  who  had  run  away.  His  father 
came  to  the  school  and  asked  me  to  interview  the  girl 
again  and  find  out  if  possible  what  she  knew.  I  called 
her  into  the  hall,  said  to  her  that  word  had  come  that 
made  the  boy's  people  think  he  was  in  a  bad  condition 
from  frozen  feet  and  in  a  county  house  farther  west; 
that  I  believed  she  had  word  from  him  that  she  had  not 
given  me;  and  that  she  ought  to  let  me  know  in  order 
that  his  people  might  go  to  him  if  he  needed  them. 

She  burst  out  crying,  and,  snatching  a  letter  from 
her  bosom,  said,  "Here  it  is;  here  it  is/'  and  handed 
me  the  letter.  I  read  it.  In  it,  he  told  her  that  he  had 
stayed  on  the  baggage  car  until  both  his  feet  were 
frozen  solid;  that  he  feared  he  might  lose  them;  that 
he  was  then  in  the  county  house ;  that  no  difference  what 
happened,  he  would  never  come  back  home.  The  re- 
mainder, and  far  the  greater  part  of  the  letter,  was 
taken  up  with  his  avowals  of  undying  love  for  his 


SEX  ATTRACTION  167 

darling,  his  own.  It  was  a  boy  wailing  at  the  feet  of  his 
idol.  It  poured  forth  such  a  volume  of  endearing  terms 
that  I  hesitated  to  read  it,  but  read  it  that  the  father 
might  know. 

The  father  went  for  him  on  the  first  train  and 
brought  him  home.  Both  feet  were  badly  frozen,  and 
in  a  short  time  it  became  necessary  to  operate  on  both 
of  them  so  that  he  was  left  somewhat  of  a  cripple  for 
life. 

I  asked  the  girl  why  she  had  helped  him  to  run 
away  in  such  cold  weather.  "Oh,  Mr.  Stableton,"  she 
replied,  "I  did  not  know  what  to  do;  he  got  so  I  was 
almost  afraid  of  him ;  he  threatened  to  kill  himself,  and 
even  did  try  to  kill  himself  with  laudanum,  so  when  he 
said  to  me  he  was  going  away,  I  could  not  keep  from 
helping  him. ' '  A  few  nights  before  he  ran  away  he  had 
taken  a  heavy  dose  of  laudanum  and  gone  to  the  girl's 
home  to  die,  but  she  and  her  people  worked  with  him 
and  prevented  the  drug's  being  fatal. 

The  boy  had  said  he  couldn't  stand  the  way  he  was 
being  treated  at  home  any  longer;  yet,  except  that  his 
people  objected  to  his  paying  so  much  attention  to  this 
girl  and  spending  so  much  of  his  time  at  her  home,  he 
was  the  pet  of  his  own  home. 

The  boy  was  confined  to  his  home  for  a  few  weeks; 
but  as  soon  as  he  was  able  to  be  about  on  crutches,  he 
returned  to  school.  By  this  time  the  infatuation  had 
lost  its  hold  on  him.  He  and  the  girl  finally  graduated 
from  the  high  school  in  the  same  class;  but  they  were 
never  again  anything  to  one  another.  He,  more  than 
once,  talked  the  whole  affair  over  with  me  and  always 
said  that  he  was  willing  to  go  limping  through  life,  if 
it  were  necessary  to  escape  marrying  the  girl  in  whom 
he  had  ceased  to  have  any  interest.  He  afterwards 


168  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

graduated  from  one  of  our  leading  medical  colleges. 
Both  he  and  the  girl  found  other  life  partners. 

Love  affairs  are  just  as  natural  to  boys  and  girls  as 
is  hunger.  Now  and  then  a  boy  or  girl  seems  to  be  im- 
mune, but  later  on  even  this  one  is  affected. 

It  is  the  racial  propagation  instinct  that  unfolds  at 
this  time,  and  with  some  for  a  while,  it  is  all-absorbing, 
all-overpowering.  When  it  is  strong  before  the  judg- 
ment is  developed,  indiscretion  and  what  we  sometimes 
call  silliness,  are  characteristics  of  the  individual.  Then 
great  care  should  be  exercised  by  parents  and  teachers ; 
not  that  these  boys  and  girls  are  evil  in  any  sense;  but 
they  are  wholly  under  the  sway  of  their  feelings;  their 
judgment  has  not  yet  come  to  them,  so  the  good  judg- 
ment, we  sometimes  call  it  common  sense,  of  parents  and 
teachers  must  be  in  place  of  their  own  which  will  come 
later.  And  how  tactfully  this  judgment  must  be  prof- 
fered them,  else  the  helper  will  fail  in  his  mission.  I 
remember,  a  number  of  years  ago,  when  I  was  teaching 
in  a  western  college  and  living  in  the  college  boarding- 
hall,  the  case  of  a  young  couple  that  possibly  brings 
out  the  point  I  would  make  clear. 

The  girl  and  the  boy  were  both  students  in  the  col- 
lege preparatory  classes;  the  girl  roomed  in  the  board- 
ing-hall, the  boy,  in  a  private  home.  The  preceptress 
kept  in  close  sympathy  with  the  girl  and  held  her  con- 
fidence. The  girl  was  quick  and  impulsive,  moved 
almost  wholly  by  her  feelings,  and  as  the  young  man  was 
her  first  (young  man)  friend,  he  filled  a  large  part  of 
her  horizon.  They  were  not  crossed  by  the  principal  or 
preceptress,  but  every  care  was  taken  that  they  should 
meet  as  young  people  worthy  of  the  confidence  of  their 
school  guardians;  they  felt  themselves  worthy  of  every 
confidence  for  they  were  conscious  of  the  fact  that  all 


SEX  ATTRACTION  169 

their  intentions  were  pure  and  good,  and  knew  not  that 
their  judgment  was  still  a  somewhat  minus  quantity; 
but  they  met  under  conditions  that  reduced,  to  a  min- 
imum, the  opportunity  for  any  indiscretion  that  would 
call  forth  unfavorable  comments.  The  girl  felt  free  to 
talk  with  the  preceptress  confidentially  about  the  young 
man.  The  preceptress  was  a  woman  of  mature  years, 
whose  experience  enabled  her  to  be  helpful.  Finally 
the  boy's  father,  having  heard  of  the  affair,  wrote  him  a 
letter,  taking  exception  to  his  paying  attention  to  the 
girl,  and  said  the  affair  must  stop.  This  angered  the 
boy  and  troubled  the  girl.  She  went  immediately  to  the 
preceptress  and  told  her  what  had  taken  place,  and  all 
in  tears,  said  she  knew  she  could  never  love  another  as 
she  loved  this  young  man ;  and  then  asked  her  friend  the 
preceptress  if  she  had  ever  felt  that  way.  The  pre- 
ceptress, with  a  good,  comforting  smile,  said,  "Yes, 
dear,  a  dozen  times. " 

But  the  preceptress  was  wise  in  that  she  caused  the 
girl  to  know  that  she  was  not  opposed  to  the  friendship 
and  would  do  nothing  to  break  it  off.  No  opposition 
from  her  school  friend,  but  only  a  word  of  friendly  ad- 
vice to  be  really  womanly  and  not  to  worry  because  the 
young  man's  father  did  not  seem  to  approve  the  friend- 
ship. 

The  preceptress  well  knew  the  way  to  accomplish 
the  thing  the  father  desired,  was  not  to  intensify  the  in- 
terest by  opposing  it,  but  to  treat  the  young  people  with 
every  consideration  and  hold  their  confidence,  thus, 
without  making  too  much  of  the  affair,  giving  time  for 
nature  to  effect  a  cure,  which  it  did. 

A  few  years  ago,  two  young  people  of  our  high  school 
were  so  taken  up  with  each  other  that  some  of  the 
teachers  and  the  principal  feared  they  would  make 


170  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

themselves  the  laughing-stock  of  the  school.  As  I  knew 
the  boy,  and  had  known  him  intimately  for  a  number  of 
years,  I  called  him  into  my  office  one  day  and  asked  him 
if  I  might,  as  his  friend,  guard  him  on  a  matter  that  he, 
possibly,  might  think  none  of  my  business.  He  blushed, 
and  replied  that  certainly  I  might,  he  would  be  glad  to 
have  me  do  so.  I  then  said  that  I  had  noticed  that  he 
and  one  of  the  girls  had  become  quite  good  friends,  that 
I  had  not  one  word  to  say  against  the  friendship,  for  I 
respected  them  both;  but,  that  as  a  young  man  who 
cared  for  the  respect  in  which  his  girl  friend  was  held, 
he  ought  to  watch  himself  and  not  permit  himself  to 
meet  her  accidentally  too  often,  as  they  went  to  and 
from  school ;  and  as  I  knew  her  people  did  not  object  to 
his  going  to  her  home,  I  advised  him  to  visit  her  at  her 
home  and  not  to  be  walking  the  streets  with  her  after 
school  hours;  that  people  were  making  remarks  that 
were  doing  her  injury;  and  that  I  knew  he,  as  her 
friend,  would  do  everything  in  his  power  to  protect  her 
from  gossip.  In  this  manner,  we  talked  over  their  re- 
lations and  the  points  that  he  should  consider,  for  Tier 
sake  especially,  and  also  for  his  own.  I  talked  to  him 
as  a  young  man,  my  friend,  and  he  responded  as  I 
wished.  He  thanked  me  for  my  words  of  interest,  and 
what  was  more,  while  the  friendship  did  not  die  out  at 
once,  their  relations  in  and  about  the  school  and  on  the 
street  assumed  a  more  dignified  form  that  could  be  but 
little  criticised. 

Most  all  of  these  little  affairs  between  boys  and  girls 
of  this  age,  so  far  as  their  conduct  relates  to  the  school, 
can  be  handled  most  satisfactorily  by  rightly  appreciat- 
ing the  spirit,  and  while  not  condemning  that  which  is 
but  the  outcropping  of  the  instinct  for  the  preservation 
of  the  species,  still  directing,  until  fully-developed 


SEX  ATTRACTION  171 

powers  enable  the  youth  to  act  with  some  judgment,  even 
in  these  things. 

When  I  speak  of  properly  guarding  the  interests  of 
grammar  grade  pupils  and  high  school  scholars,  I  mean 
that  we  should  make  all  the  conditions  and  surroundings 
at  school,  as  conducive  as  possible  to  the  free,  whole- 
some mingling  of  the  two  sexes.  We  must  always  re- 
member that  the  public  schools  have  representatives 
from  the  homes  of  "all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men," 
and  that  in  the  advanced  grammar  grades  and  the  high 
schools,  we  have  them  at  the  period  of  life  when  in- 
herited tendencies  crop  out,  and  the  sex  instinct  is  up- 
permost, at  least  for  a  part  of  this  period;  that  many 
have  little  or  no  judgment,  but  are  moved  almost 
wholly  by  their  emotions. 

In  the  one-room  school  in  the  rural  district,  the 
teacher  should  always  be  at  the  school  first  in  the  morn- 
ing to  welcome  the  pupils  as  they  come ;  and  at  noon,  as 
many  of  the  scholars  eat  their  noon  lunch  at  the  school, 
so  should  the  teacher ;  at  the  close  of  school  in  the  after- 
noon, the  teacher  should  be  the  last  to  leave  the  building 
and  see  that  it  is  properly  closed.  The  teacher's  pres- 
ence all  the  day  long  suggests  the  right  conduct  on  the 
part  of  the  members  of  the  school,  and  gives  no  op- 
portunity for  any  improprieties  that  might  bring  crit- 
icism on  members  of  the  school  or  the  school  itself.  Yet 
the  school  has  enjoyed  the  teacher  if  of  the  right  type, 
from  the  early  "Good-morning"  to  the  afternoon 
closing,  "Good  Night." 

Not  long  ago,  I  was  riding  with  a  friend  in  the 
country.  It  had  rained  a  part  of  the  afternoon,  and 
was  still  drizzling  when  we  approached  a  one-room 
school  that  had  just  closed  its  work  for  the  day.  We 
met  the  teacher,  a  young  man  protected  by  a  raincoat, 


172  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

a  short  distance  from  the  school,  going  to  his  home.  A 
number  of  the  younger  boys  and  girls  passed  us  on  their 
way  home ;  but  when  we  came  near  the  school-house,  we 
saw  several  of  the  older  ones  standing  inside  the  school- 
room door,  apparently  waiting  for  the  rain  to  cease 
drizzling.  The  teacher  had  evidently  put  on  his  rain- 
coat and  gone  home,  leaving  a  few  of  his  grammar  grade 
pupils  alone  in  possession  of  the  school-house,  a  school- 
house  with  no  dwelling  house  in  sight.  Later  on,  I  came 
to  know  that  this  young  man  was  counted  one  of  the  best 
young  teachers  in  his  county,  and  was  held  in  high  es- 
teem by  the  patrons  of  his  school;  but  he  failed  to 
realize  the  whole  responsibility  that  was  his  or  he  would 
never  have  gone  home  at  the  close  of  the  school  day 
leaving  a  handful  of  advanced  grammar  grade  pupils 
in  the  school  building  out  of  the  sight  of  human  habita- 
tion, to  wait  for  the  shower  to  pass  by. 

In  the  small  town  school,  the  same  care  as  in  the 
strictly  rural  school  should  be  exercised.  When  in  the 
town  or  city  school  the  principal  has  planned  the  move- 
ment of  pupils  or  scholars  about  the  school  so  that  they 
are  almost  continuously  under  the  observation  of  some 
teacher,  from  the  time  of  entering  the  building  to  the 
time  of  leaving  it,  under  the  eye  of  some  teacher  who  is 
interested  to  be  helpful,  not  one  who  is  continually  on 
the  look-out  for  some  offense  to  report  to  the  principal, 
there  is  not  apt  to  be  anything  serious  to  be  corrected  or 
even  criticised.  Usually,  where  the  proper  care  is  ex- 
ercised by  the  principal  and  his  assistants,  and  the  right 
spirit  prevails  in  the  school,  if  little  indiscretions  are 
seen,  a  word  of  friendly  counsel,  kindly  given  in  private, 
is  all  that  is  necessary  to  hold  the  conduct  of  all  above 
criticism. 


SEX  ATTRACTION  173 

Our  principals  were  always  first  on  hand  at  the 
buildings,  and  they  always  saw  that  all  pupils  and  schol- 
ars were  out  of  the  buildings  at  the  proper  time  in  the 
afternoon.  The  noon  hours  where  pupils  ate  their  lunch 
at  the  school  were  provided  for  in  a  way  not  to  make  it 
a  burden  on  any  one  teacher. 

In  our  elementary  schools,  our  principals  were 
women  of  rare  qualifications  for  the  positions.  They 
so  ably  managed  their  buildings  that  the  life  of  the 
school  was  about  as  helpful  to  grammar  grade  pupils  as 
it  could  be  made.  There  was  oversight  of  them  in  their 
mingling  together,  but  it  was  a  sympathetic  oversight, 
and  not  a  nagging,  spying  on  them.  Boys  and  girls 
know  the  difference  in  these,  even  if  they  cannot  ex- 
press it  in  words. 

Sometimes  a  principal  would  ask:  "Mr.  Stableton, 
have  you  noticed  Henry's  or  John's  (as  the  case  might 
be)  hair,  and  necktie?" 

As  I  would  look  in  the  direction  indicated,  I  would 
see  a  transformed  head  of  hair,  and  a  flaming  new  neck- 
tie. 

"  It  is  all  because  he  has  taken  a  fancy  to  that  tastily- 
dressed  girl  in  the  corner  to  your  right,  Jane  Smith,  and 
he  is  trying  to  appear  well  in  her  eyes.  Why,  even  his 
finger-nails  are  cleaned  up.  We  teachers  think  his  'first 
fancy'  is  having  a  fine  effect  on  him.  We  can  see  by 
many  little  things  that  he  thinks  Jane  is  about  perfect, 
but  there  is  nothing  in  his  conduct  to  criticise.  He  has 
always  been  so  careless  that  we  are  glad  to  see  some- 
thing so  completely  change  him  for  the  better."  After 
the  principal  had  thus  called  my  attention  to  the  trans- 
formation and  its  cause,  she  would  pass  on  to  other 
things. 


174  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

Boys  and  girls  at  the  time  of  their  "budding 
fancies"  are  safe  in  the  hands  of  able  principals  who 
have  an  appreciative  understanding  of  them,  principals 
who,  unknown  to  the  boys  and  girls,  protect  them  and 
thus  avoid  the  impossibility  of  correcting  them. 

In  our  high  school,  the  principal  planned  the  man- 
agement of  his  building  with  greatest  care  to  give  ample 
opportunity  for  the  democratic  mingling  of  all  the  schol- 
ars with  the  least  possible  opportunity  for  indiscretions 
that  could  be  criticised.  Possibly  if  you  will  permit  my 
using  the  term  so  well  understood  by  all,  yet  a  word  not 
found  in  the  choicest  diction,  I  would  say  with  the 
least  possible  opportunity  for  acting  "spoony." 

The  principal  well  knew  that  where  a  number  of 
scholars  are  mingling  openly,  and  especially  if  there  is 
a  teacher  whom  they  hold  in  high  esteem  present  with 
them,  there  is  found  little  or  no  objectionable  conduct ; 
and  with  this  in  view,  he  planned  the  movements  of  the 
scholars  in  and  about  the  school,  and  wherever  gathered 
together  under  school  names. 

All  rooms  and  parts  of  the  building  when  not  in  use 
were  locked.  The  principal  and  his  secretary,  as  well  as 
the  assistant  principal,  were  in  the  office  of  the  principal 
each  morning  a  few  minutes  before  the  time  for  the  ad- 
mission of  scholars.  Shortly  after  the  arrival  of  the 
principal  and  assistant,  the  teachers  called  at  the  prin- 
cipal's office  for  the  keys  to  their  rooms,  passed  to  their 
rooms,  or  to  those  parts  of  the  building  of  which  they 
had  oversight  for  the  period  before  class  work  began. 
All  parts  of  the  building,  the  class-rooms  for  first-hour 
classes  with  teachers  in  charge,  the  study-halls  with  a 
teacher  in  each,  the  -  laboratories,  a  teacher  present,  the 
corridors  or  halls  with  teachers  here  and  there,  each 
with  a  definite  part  of  the  hall  to  look  after,  were  thrown 


SEX  ATTRACTION  175 

open  to  scholars.  From  the  time  of  opening  these  parts 
of  the  building  to  them,  to  within  fifteen  minutes  of  the 
set  time  beginning  first  recitations,  they  were  free  to 
move  about,  visit  or  chat  as  they  pleased.  All  that  was 
expected  of  them  was  that  the  boys  be  manly  and  the 
girls  womanly  in  their  conduct.  It  was  a  rare  thing 
for  anyone  to  forget  self-control  so  far  as  to  be  spoken 
to. 

Fifteen  minutes  before  first  hour  recitations,  the  hall 
clocks  gave  the  signal  for  all  to  leave  the  corridors  and 
pass  into  their  first  hour  recitations,  or  to  their  seats 
for  the  first  hour  in  the  study-halls. 

At  the  close  of  each  recitation  hour,  there  was  the 
same  free  mingling  as  the  scholars  changed  from  class- 
room to  classroom.  Here  and  there  about  the  halls  were 
teachers  speaking  pleasantly  to  passing  scholars,  seem- 
ingly a  part  of  the  very  happy  throng,  suggesting  by 
their  presence  the  right  conduct  on  the  part  of  the  schol- 
ars. And  so  on  through  the  day,  freedom  of  movement, 
but  always  under  conditions  of  safety. 

Teachers  were  given  a  certain  time  after  the  closing 
of  school  at  3 :30  o  'clock  p.  m.  for  conference  and 
1  i  make-up ' '  work  with  the  scholars.  At  the  close  of  this 
" make-up"  hour  the  clocks  sounded  the  signal  for 
teachers  to  dismiss  and  send  from  the  building  all  schol- 
ars. 

The  principal  aimed  to  have  the  building  free  from 
scholars  before  the  shades  of  evening  darkened  the 
building.  The  mid-winter  make-up  and  conference  hour 
was  much  shorter  than  that  of  the  fall  and  spring 
months,  as  with  us,  it  was  sometimes  almost  dark  at 
4:00  p.  m.  in  January. 

Before  the  teachers  left  the  building,  they  returned 
their  keys  to  the  secretary  in  the  principal's  office. 


176  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

Of  later  years,  there  was  a  great  increase  in  the 
number  of  students  from  rural  schools  attending  our 
high  school.  The  principal  found  in  enrolling  them  for 
school,  that  some  who  came  in  of  a  morning  and  re- 
turned home  after  the  close  of  school  each  day  on  an  in- 
terurban  car,  must  either  come  on  a  car  arriving  soon 
after  seven  o  'clock  a.  m.  or  one  that  arrived  after  9 :00 
a.  m.  In  some  cases,  he  could  and  did  arrange  the  pro- 
grams of  recitations  for  the  scholars  to  come  on  the 
later  car.  In  other  cases,  this  could  not  be  done.  The 
question  at  once  came  up  as  to  how  those  arriving  at  the 
school  about  7 :30  a.  m.  could  be  cared  for  until  the  time 
for  the  principal  to  be  in  his  office.  But  two  places  in 
the  city  were  open  at  that  hour  for  boys,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
and  the  poolrooms ;  for  the  girls,  no  place  at  all.  As  the 
superintendent's  office  was  in  the  high  school  building, 
and  he  was  always  in  his  office  at  7 :30  a.  m.,  he  offered 
the  use  of  his  outer  office  for  the  accommodation  of  these 
early-arriving  scholars.  His  office  was  open  to  the  pub- 
lic at  this  hour,  and  had  its  own  entrance  which  made 
it  unnecessary  to  open  any  other  part  of  the  building. 
These  scholars  came  immediately  from  the  car  to  the 
superintendent's  outer  office,  where  they  studied  until 
the  principal  arrived  and  admitted  them  to  his  outer 
office. 

The  high  school  building  was  much  used  of  evenings 
for  parties,  and  other  gatherings  of  the  school.  On  these 
occasions  all  parts  of  the  building  not  used  for  the 
party  gatherings  were  locked  up. 

But,  says  some  teacher:  "It  looks  to  me  as  if  you 
did  not  trust  them  at  all,  and  that  the  scholars  would 
get  very  tired  of  always  having  teachers  around." 

I  would  say  in  reply  to  this  statement  that  it  is  be- 
cause we  did  trust  them,  intelligently  trust  them,  and 


SEX  ATTRACTION  177 

had  faith  in  their  goodness  that  they  were  given,  at  the 
habit-fixing  time  of  life,  every  opportunity  to  practice 
the  right  conduct  until  it  tended  to  fix  itself  as  a  habit  of 
right  conduct;  that  as  far  as  their  tiring  of  having 
teachers  around,  that  depends  entirely  on  the  teacher  or 
teachers ;  there  are  teachers  who  would  make  themselves 
so  offensive  to  the  scholars  as  to  ruin  all ;  but  on  the  other 
hand,  there  are  teachers,  many  teachers,  who  intelli- 
gently make  themselves  so  acceptable  to  the  scholars  that 
their  presence  is  always,  at  any  party,  or  gathering  of 
high  school  scholars,  hailed  with  delight.  In  the  pres- 
ence of  these  teachers,  the  scholars  always  measure  up 
to  their  best.  The  scholars  know  that  these  teachers 
would  not  be  satisfied  with  poor  class  work,  nor  with 
anything  short  of  the  best  conduct ;  and  they  also  know 
that  a  party  never  lags  in  interest  with  these  teachers 
present  to  help  in  entertaining.  It  all  depends  on  the 
teachers  whether  or  not  the  scholars  tire  ' '  of  having  them 
around/' 


CHAPTER  XV 
WHAT  WOULD  YOU  DO  WITH  THEM? 

John  King  in  the  fifth  grade  was  a  good  reader  and 
and  an  unusually  good  thinker  for  that  grade,  but  could 
not  write  sentences  at  all.  On  through  the  eighth  grade, 
it  was  the  same,  an  intelligent  reader,  excellent  in  arith- 
metic, except  in  written  form,  finely  posted  in  geogra- 
phy and  U.  S.  History,  and  the  leader  of  his  class  in 
civics,  but  wholly  unable  to  put  anything  into  written 
form.  He  would  try  when  written  lessons  were  given 
to  write  out  what  he  could  recite  well  orally,  but  all  that 
he  put  down  was  a  mere  jumble  of  misspelled  words,  not 
sentences.  He  was  not  promoted  to  the  high  school  but 
was  permitted  to  enter  the  high  school  to  get  all  he  could 
out  of  it. 

It  seemed  impossible  for  him  to  "think  out"  through 
his  fingers,  if  I  may  so  state  it.  All  the  efforts  of  his 
teachers  to  develop  this  power  in  him  had  so  far  been 
fruitless.  Some  very  expert  teachers  had  tried  to  teach 
him  to  write  sentences,  but  they  finally  gave  up  the  task 
as  hopeless.  It  seemed  that  while  he  was  trying  to  write, 
only  a  word  now  and  then  could  get  out  from  his  think- 
ing center  by  way  of  his  fingers,  and  be  recorded  or 
written  down,  that  these  single  words  dropping  out  at 
odd  times  had  no  connection,  and  as  a  result,  he  never 
wrote  in  sentences. 

Once  a  number  of  years  ago  in  talking  with  Mr. 
George  P.  Brown,  who  was  at  that  time  a  well-known 
and  distinguished  writer  on  education,  he  said  to  me 
that  it  was  so  much  easier  for  him  to  write  out  his 
thoughts  than  for  him  to  speak  them.  "I  think,"  said 
he,  "That  the  bridge  of  nerve  fibers  that  connects  the 

178 


WHAT  WOULD  You  Do  179 

thinking  center  in  my  brain  with  the  motor  center  that 
controls  my  fingers  is  much  more  perfect  and  contains 
a  larger  number  of  nerve  fibers  than  the  bridge  of  nerve 
fibers  that  connects  the  thinking  in  my  brain  with  the 
motor  center  that  controls  my  tongue.  At  least,  my 
thoughts  flow  out  very  rapidly  through  my  fingers,  and 
very  slowly  through  my  tongue,  so  slowly  that  it  makes 
me  very  deliberate  in  speaking;  but  my  fingers  give  in- 
stant expression  to  my  thoughts.  Or  it  may  be,  there 
is  a  better  connection  between  the  center  that  controls 
my  fingers  and  the  muscles  of  my  fingers,  than  there  is 
between  the  motor  center  that  controls  my  tongue  and 
the  muscles  of  my  tongue. ' ' 

I  am  not  passing  on  the  correctness  or  incorrectness 
of  Mr.  Brown's  thoughts  concerning  himself,  but  refer 
to  his  talk  because  his  talk  with  me  led  me  years  after  to 
try  to  think  out  some  possible  cause  for  this  boy's  not 
being  able  to  write  out  his  thoughts.  But  before  giving 
my  thoughts  as  to  the  possibility  of  the  cause  of  his 
difficulty,  I  will  tell  something  of  his  high  school  history. 

John  King  was  greatly  interested  in  athletics,  and  as 
a  grammar  pupil  had  made  a  fine  record  in  football  and 
basketball.  In  the  high  school,  no  scholar  was  eligible 
to  play  on  any  athletic  team  unless  he  were  carrying 
three  of  his  four  studies  above  a  passing  grade.  John 
King's  heart  was  set  on  making  the  football  team.  He 
gave  close  attention  to  his  lessons  and  was  above  in  three 
studies  so  that  he  played  on  the  football  team  the  first 
semester.  In  English,  he  was  marked  low. 

His  English  teacher  called  on  me  to  talk  with  me 
about  him.  She  said  he  recited  the  oral  parts  of  the 
lessons  well,  that  he  knew  the  stories  so  well  that  he 
could  answer  any  questions  or  give  the  stories  complete. 
"But,  Mr.  Btableton,"  said  she,  "In  all  the  time  he  has 


180  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

been  in  my  class,  in  all  the  written  work  I  have  called 
for,  I  have  never  been  able  to  get  a  single  English  sen- 
tence from  him.  He  always  writes  but  there  is  nothing 
but  poorly-spelled,  non-related  words,  in  what  he  writes. 
He  called  to  see  me  about  his  mark  and  felt  very  badly 
because  it  was  so  low.  I  told  him  that  his  written  work 
had  not  been  up  to  standard  and  that  it  was  the  cause 
of  his  low  mark. ' ' 

She  then  asked  to  know  about  him  and  how  he  came 
to  be  in  the  high  school  with  no  power  at  all  to  write 
English.  She  was  troubled  to  know  what  to  do  and  was 
looking  for  help. 

I  gave  her  a  full  history  of  the  boy's  case.  She  was 
greatly  interested,  anH  said  she  would  do  her  best  to 
help  him,  but  did  not  know  what  she  might  be  able  to 
accomplish. 

She  was  a  teacher  who  never  failed  to  do  her  best  by 
every  scholar  that  came  under  her  instruction.  She  was 
an  unusually  talented  teacher  of  English,  able  to  a  de- 
gree seldom  attained  by  teachers  of  high  school  English. 

The  second  year  he  was  in  the  high  school,  another 
teacher  of  English,  hearing  of  his  case,  said  to  me  that 
she  would  like  the  privilege  of  teaching  him,  that  she 
was  sure  she  could  bring  up  his  English  written  work. 
This  teacher  was  also  a  very  strong  teacher.  I  was 
pleased  to  have  her  interested  in  the  boy's  case  to  the 
extent  that  she  would  like  to  see  what  she  could  do  in 
teaching  him  to  put  his  thoughts  down  in  writing.  I 
spoke  to  the  principal  and  he  transferred  John  King  to 
this  teacher's  class.  She  left  nothing  undone  that  she 
knew  to  do  to  teach  him  to  write  sentences  and  express 
his  thought  in  written  words.  She  was  very  enthusi- 
astic when  she  began  the  work,  but  at  the  end  of  six 
weeks  hard  work  with  him  she  said  to  me:  "I've  taught 


WHAT  WOULD  You  Do  181 

him  nothing.  He  has  put  forth  every  effort  he  can  in 
trying,  but  he  is  not  any  better  off  than  when  he  came 
to  me.  He  simply  cannot  connect  up  his  thinking  with 
his  writing,  and  I've  come  to  believe  that  he  cannot  be 
taught  to  do  it. ' '  He  continued  in  the  high  school  three 
years  and  did  fine  oral  work  in  Geography,  History, 
Civics,  some  parts  of  English,  in  fact,  in  all  oral  work, 
but  never  developed  the  power  to  express  himself  through 
the  medium  of  writing.  While  this  lack  of  ability  to 
write  out  his  thoughts  handicapped  him  more  or  less, 
still  he  gained  great  good  from  his  three  years  in  the 
high  school.  The  three  years  were  well  spent. 

All  this  time,  I  had  been  thinking  a  great  deal  of  his 
case.  The  last  year  he  was  in  school,  in  thinking  of  this 
case,  I  recalled  to  mind  what  Mr.  George  P.  Brown  had 
said  to  me  some  years  before  of  his  powers  of  expressing 
himself.  I  wondered  if  the  boy's  shortage  of  power  to 
express  himself  in  written  form  were  not  due  to  a  lack 
of  some  kind  in  the  nerve  fiber  connections  from  his 
thought  center  to  his  motor  centers  controlling  his 
fingers,  or  out  from  the  motor  center  to  the  muscles  that 
move  the  fingers;  while  the  fact  that  he  could  express 
himself  by  means  of  spoken  words  would  seem  to  in- 
dicate a  better  nerve  fiber  communication  from  his 
thought  center  to  his  motor  center  controlling  the  organs 
of  speech  and  out  from  this  motor  center  to  the  muscles 
moving  the  organs  of  speech.  If  this  were  true,  no 
teaching  and  no  effort  on  his  part  could  help  him.  No 
new  nerve  fibers  could  be  caused  to  grow  to  give  a  better 
outlet  through  his  fingers. 

I  have  already  mentioned  that  he  was  a  fine  athlete, 
fine  in  both  football  and  basketball.  He  was  skillful  in- 
deed in  putting  the  ball  into  the  basket.  His  control  of 
the  larger  muscles  of  his  arms  and  hands,  and  to  some 


182  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

extent  the  large  muscles  of  his  whole  body,  but  especially 
those  of  his  arms,  and  hands,  was  very  perfect. 

It  occurred  to  me  that  as  he  thought  so  accurately 
through  these  larger  muscles  in  ball  games,  might  it  not 
be  possible  for  him  to  learn  to  write  wholly  with  the  arm 
movement  and  thus  be  able  to  express  himself  in  written 
form?  With  this  thought  in  mind,  I  called  him  in  one 
day  and  talked  with  him  about  trying  to  train  the 
larger  muscles  for  this  purpose.  But  the  close  of  the 
year  was  near  and,  as  he  did  not  return  to  school 
the  next  year,  I  think  he  never  tried  to  use  the  larger 
muscles  for  this  purpose. 


Jane  Moore  was  a  member  of  an  eighth  grade  grad- 
uating class,  in  all  her  studies  but  two,  at  one  of  the 
elementary  school  buildings.  Her  principal,  who  was 
also  her  teacher,  and  I,  were  arranging  a  list  of  those 
who  would  be  graduated.  When  we  came  to  Jane's 
name,  the  principal  asked  what  I  would  recommend  in 
her  case.  Jane  had  come  to  us  from  a  rural  school  three 
years  before  as  a  seventh  grade  pupil  short  in  arithmetic. 
Later  on,  we  found  that  it  would  be  necessary  for  her 
to  give  three  years  to  the  work  of  the  seventh  and  the 
eighth  grades  other  than  Arithmetic.  Now  that  the 
three  years  were  almost  past,  the  question  of  what  should 
be  done  for  her  came  up  again.  When  she  came  to  us, 
she  knew  no  arithmetic  more  than  addition,  subtraction, 
multiplication  and  division  of  whole  numbers;  and  in 
the  three  years  we  had  been  able  to  add  but  little  to  her 
knowledge  of  this  subject.  She  was  a  fine  penman,  good 
in  her  eighth  grade  English,  an  excellent  speller,  only 
fair  in  U.  S.  History,  and  short  in  civics. 


WHAT  WOULD  You  Do  183 

I  replied  that  the  only  question  in  deciding  what  we 
should  do  for  her  was  the  question  of  which  would  be 
better  for  her,  another  year  in  the  eighth  grade  repeat- 
ing the  work,  or  to  be  placed  in  the  high  school,  not  pro- 
moted to  it,  where  there  was  more  work  that  would  in- 
terest her,  and  that  she  could  do,  such  as  English,  Art, 
Domestic  Art,  History,  and  other  subjects ;  that  I  was  in 
favor  of  placing  her  in  the  high  school ;  that  she  was  a 
girl  past  sixteen  years  of  age,  so  should  be  associated 
with  scholars  older  than  the  incoming  eighth  grade 
students  if  she  were  to  gain  anything  from  her  school 
associations. 

The  principal  was  pleased  with  my  decision.  She 
said  the  girl  had  gotten  all  she  could  get  from  the  grade 
work  and  needed  a  change;  that  the  new  interests  in 
the  high  school  would  appeal  to  her  strongly,  and  that 
she  would  get  great  good  from  the  high  school. 

She  said  further  that  Jane  had  been  a  very  unhappy 
girl  all  the  year  because  of  the  faultfinding  of  her  home 
people;  that  Jane's  people  were  very  wealthy  and  had 
moved  into  the  city  to  educate  their  children ;  that  Jane 's 
not  being  able  to  keep  up  in  school  work  with  the  neigh- 
bor girls  had  made  her  mother  very  bitter. 

I  called  at  Jane's  home  on  my  way  back  to  my  office 
and  told  her  mother  what  we  thought  best  to  do  if  it 
met  her  approval. 

She  thanked  me  for  the  interest  taken,  and  said  she 
would  be  pleased  to  have  Jane  take  advantage  of  our 
offer. 

After  giving  me  this  reply,  she  told  me  how  disap- 
pointed they  were  that  their  children  were  not  capable 
of  taking  an  education ;  that  they  had  moved  to  the  city 
to  educate  their  children  and  had  found  that  their  child- 
ren could  not  learn  as  other  children  did. 


184  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

Jane  spent  three  very  profitable  years  in  the  high 
school,  selecting  the  studies  that  appealed  to  her  in  the 
lines  where  she  was  capable  of  doing  good  work.  She 
did  work  that  commanded  the  respect  of  both  teachers 
and  classmates. 

********* 

Julius  Clark  was  a  member  of  a  June  8-A  class  in 
one  of  our  eighth  grade  buildings.  He  was  a  youth  of 
fine  physique;  honest,  bright  of  face;  big  brown  eyes 
that  looked  straight  at  you,  and  sparkled  when  pleased, 
but  painfully  slow  at  learning. 

He  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  repeating  a  part  of  his 
work,  and  still  below  passing.  He  was  not  feeble-minded, 
but  was  unquestionably  slow  at  learning  from  books. 

He  was  the  finest  athlete  in  his  school,  and  bore  him- 
self so  well  toward  the  other  boys  that  he  was  their  un- 
questioned leader.  His  teacher  remarked  to  me  one  day 
that  Julius  would  never  know  how  greatly  she  was  in- 
debted to  him  for  the  easy  discipline  of  her  room;  that 
what  Julius  did  was  always  right  in  sight  of  the  boys, 
and  that  Julius  always  did  right;  that  while  she  had  a 
large  school  and  many  of  them  boys,  with  Julius  there 
she  never  felt  a  care  so  far  as  good  order  was  concerned. 
Yet  with  all  this  strength  of  personality,  Julius  could 
not  be  marked  as  passing  in  his  8-A  studies. 

After  talking  with  his  teacher  and  principal,  I  called 
Julius  into  the  principal's  office  and  told  him  that  we 
thought  it  best  for  him  to  be  placed  in  the  high  school 
the  coming  semester;  that  while  he  was  below  passing 
in  his  studies  and  for  this  reason  we  could  not  give  him 
an  eighth  grade  certificate,  still  he  could  enter  the  high 
school  in  September ;  that  we  believed  it  would  be  better 
for  him  than  to  continue  longer  in  the  eighth  grade. 


WHAT  WOULD  You  Do  185 

He  was  pleased  to  know  he  would  be  permitted  to 
enter  the  high  school,  and  asked  if  his  not  being  up  with 
his  eighth  grade  work  would  keep  him  out  of  athletics 
the  first  semester  in  high  school. 

I  replied  that  his  eighth  grade  work  would  not  count 
against  him  in  athletics,  but  that  he  must  be  carrying 
three  out  of  his  four  high  school  studies  to  be  on  an  ath- 
letic team. 

Julius  entered  high  school  in  September,  and  was  out 
on  first  call  for  a  football  practice  game,  hoping  later  to 
win  a  place  on  the  high  school  team.  He  proved  one  of 
the  finest  of  the  new  boys  out  for  football,  and  in  the 
final  tryout,  won  a  place  on  the  team. 

It  was  now  up  to  him  to  keep  above  passing  in  at 
least  three  of  his  four  studies  or  give  up  his  place  on  the 
team.  He  kept  his  place  on  the  team  and  he  kept  it  by 
devoting  all  his  powers  to  but  two  things,  his  studies, 
and  his  athletic  team  work. 

The  first  year  he  passed  in  three  of  his  four  studies 
and  had  his  full  part  in  the  high  school  athletics.    His 
grades  were  not  high  but  they  were  well  above  passing ; 
and  they  were  not  won  without  earnest  effort. 
********* 

A  number  of  years  ago  when  I  entered  upon  the  sup- 
erintendency  of  the  schools  in  a  certain  town,  I  found  a 
peculiar  condition  existing  in  the  8th  grades.  The  classes 
in  these  grades  were  so  large  that  they  were  unwieldy ; 
and  in  one  of  these  classes,  I  found  a  number  of  big  boys 
and  girls  from  15  to  17  years  of  age,  with  no  interest 
whatever  in  the  school  work.  I  looked  at  them.  They 
made  me  think  of  wild  animals  confined  in  a  cage.  I 
knew  that  something  must  be  done  and  done  quickly  or 
a  number  of  them  would  leave  school.  I  studied  the 


186  YOUE  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

problem.  For  nine  and  in  some  cases  ten  years,  they  had 
been  fed  on  a  mental  diet  of  reading,  spelling,  arith- 
metic, grammar,  and  a  little  history;  from  6  years  to 
17  this  had  been  their  diet.  It  struck  me  that  the  only 
way  to  put  life  into  them  would  be  to  change  their  food. 
I  called  their  parents  together  and  laid  the  case  before 
them.  Here  was  a  number  of  young  people  who  for 
nine  or  ten  years  had  been  fed  on  the  same  diet  until  it 
had  become  so  distasteful  to  them  that  they  refused  to 
take  it ;  what  should  I  do  ?  Let  them  starve  mentally,  or 
give  them  a  change  of  diet  and  bring  about  vigorous 
mental  activity  ?  I  admitted  that  there  were  many  prob- 
lems in  the  arithmetic  that  they  could  not  solve,  and 
many  constructions  in  the  grammar  that  they  could  not 
dispose  of;  but  what  should  we  do,  hold  them  longer  to 
these  studies  and  drive  them  out  of  school,  or  give  them 
the  first  year  studies  of  the  high  school  and  thus  save 
them  to  four  years  of  school  training?  I  said  to  the 
parents  that  admitting  the  shortage  in  their  work,  still 
I  believed  the  only  thing  to  be  done  was  to  give  them  the 
new  work ;  but  that  I  wished  the  parents  to  speak  freely 
and  say  whether  or  not  they  approved  of  the  plan. 

One  gentleman,  who  for  a  number  of  years  previous 
had  been  on  the  Board  of  Education,  and  whose  two 
sons  were  among  the  number  we  were  considering  said : 
"I  am  ready  for  you  to  try  anything  with  my  boys.  I 
am  all  out  of  heart  about  them.  For  years  I  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Education,  I  blamed  the  teachers, 
then  I  blamed  the  books,  then  the  superintendent  be- 
cause my  boys  got  along  so  slowly ;  then  I  blamed  myself. 
Last  year  I  asked  the  superintendent  to  examine  them 
closely  and  tell  me  what  he  thought  about  them.  So  the 
superintendent  took  them  to  his  office,  talked  with  them 
and  questioned  them,  and  then  told  me  that  the  fact  was 


WHAT  WOULD  You  Do  187 

the  boys  were  dull  and  could  not  learn  much,  so  I  have 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  he  is  right,  and  that  they  are 
dummies.  If  you  can  do  anything  to  interest  them  and 
keep  them  in  school,  I  '11  be  only  too  glad,  but  I  've  about 
given  up  hope. ' '  These  two  boys  were  given  a  change  of 
diet  and  immediately  began  to  thrive,  and  finally  grad- 
uated from  the  high  school. 

Another  one  of  this  same  class :  My  first  introduction 
to  this  boy  was  one  day,  when  an  old  woman  who  lived 
near  the  school  called  at  my  office  and  laid  complaint 
against  him  for  tearing  down  a  part  of  her  fence.  I 
spoke  to  his  teacher  about  him  and  requested  her  to  send 
him  to  me  at  noon  after  the  other  pupils  had  passed  out. 
In  speaking  of  him,  she  said  he  was  the  worst  boy  in  her 
room  and  that  she  dreaded  him  more  than  all  the  others 
put  together.  At  noon  I  met  him,  and  told  him  what 
complaint  had  been  made.  He  confessed  that  he  had 
committed  the  offense,  and  said  that  he  would  do  noth- 
ing of  the  kind  again.  He  was  a  regular  Hercules,  six- 
teen years  of  age  and  in  the  grammar  grade.  The  thought 
came  to  me  that  he  needed  more  work,  and  that  he  too 
had  ceased  to  be  interested  in  the  things  he  had  studied 
for  ten  years.  I  put  him  into  the  first  year  in  the  high 
school  and  he  worked  like  a  steam  engine  and  made  a 
splendid  record  in  his  studies.  Hard  work  in  the  things 
that  interested  him  was  his  salvation;  the  day  that  his 
work  was  lightened  up  he  was  hard  to  control,  but  by 
working  him  so  that  he  had  no  time  for  anything  else  he 
did  high  grade  work  and  was  happy  and  bothered  no  one. 
He  could  do,  and  did,  more  work  than  the  regular  course 
called  for ;  he  had  to  be  loaded  to  keep  peace ;  work,  hard 
work,  was  his  only  salvation;  but  not  the  work  of  the 
grammar  grades.  This  boy  finally  graduated  from  that 
High  School.  The  four  years'  training  and  study  im- 


188  YOUE  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

proved  him  an  hundredfold.  Did  it  pay  to  put  this  boy 
on  the  mental  food  suited  to  his  needs,  or  would  it  have 
been  better  to  try  for  more  thoroughness  in  the  gram- 
mar studies  which  did  not  appeal  to  him  at  all? 

I  would  not  decry  thoroughness  in  the  common 
branches,  but  there  comes  a  time  when  the  mind  demands 
a  change,  a  time  when  mental  food  of  a  very  different 
character  can  be  assimilated,  and  if  the  mind  is  deprived 
of  this  food  it  fails  to  develop  as  it  otherwise  would. 
********* 

Often  a  school  has  pupils  coming  from  other  schools, 
schools  in  the  same  state  or  other  states.  Sometimes 
these  pupils  fit  nicely  into  the  grades,  sometimes  they  do 
not.  When  they  fit  easily  into  the  grades  there  is  no  loss 
of  time,  and  when  they  do  not  fit  regularly  into  the 
grades  there  should  be  no  loss  of  time.  For  a  number  of 
years,  we  followed  the  plan  of  assigning  irregularly 
graded  pupils,  part  work  in  one  grade  and  part  work 
in  another.  In  this  way,  we  prevented  loss  of  the  pupil's 
time,  and  additional  expense  to  the  school  district. 
Whenever  a  pupil  repeats  a  study  simply  for  convenience 
in  classifying  the  pupil  and  not  because  of  his  own  need 
of  it,  his  progressive  movement  in  his  education  is  in- 
terfered with,  his  interest  is  lessened,  and  unnecessary 
expense  placed  on  the  school  district. 

A  school  is  not  less  orderly  where  some  pupil  recites 
a  part  of  his  lesson  in  the  sixth  grade  and  a  part  in  the 
fifth,  or  some  other  grade,  than  the  school  where  the 
pupils  are  required  to  recite  all  lessons  in  the  same 
grade;  the  school  it  not  less  orderly,  but  it  has  a  new 
kind  of  orderliness  not  based  on  the  mechanical  move- 
ment of  the  school,  but  on  the  highest  interests  of  the 
pupils.  It  is  a  higher  type  of  orderliness. 


WHAT  WOULD  You  Do  189 

We  not  only  extended  this  time-saving  opportunity 
to  those  coming  to  us  from  other  schools,  but  also  to  our 
own  pupils.  However,  this  is  true  that  with  our  semi- 
annual promotion,  we  were  able  to  bring  together  in 
each  half-year  grade  or  working  section,  (a  grade  is 
nothing  more  than  a  convenient  working  section  of  a 
school),  those  whose  attainments  and  rate  of  move- 
ment were  so  nearly  the  same  that  need  of  placing  pupils 
partly  in  one  section  and  partly  in  another  was  not  so 
great  as  it  is  in  some  schools. 

Our  schools  were  made  still  more  adjustable  to  needs 
of  individual  scholars  by  special  promotions  at  any  time 
during  the  semester.  Our  whole  plan,  semi-annual  pro- 
motions, with  special  promotions  at  any  time  during  the 
term,  together  with  assigning  a  part  of  the  work  of  some 
pupils  in  one  grade  and  a  part  in  another,  was  in  reality 
a  system  of  promotion  by  subjects  rather  than  by  grades 
or  classes. 

With  us,  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  scholars  to 
take  a  part  of  their  work  in  the  eighth  grade  at  their 
eighth"  grade  building,  and  the  other  part  consisting  of 
high  school  studies  in  the  high  school.  In  most  of  these 
cases,  the  classes  were  so  adjusted  that  these  scholars 
could  spend  the  first  hours  of  the  forenoon  at  the  eighth 
grade  building,  and  the  remainder  of  the  day  at  the 
high  school.  It  was  no  inconvenience  to  anyone.  The 
relations  between  the  elementary  schools  and  the  high 
school  should  be  close.  They  are  but  parts  of  one  school 
system. 


CHAPTER  XVI 
ATHLETICS 

To  appreciate  fully  the  great  value  of  athletics  to  the 
scholars  of  a  school,  we  must  not  fail  to  see  that  athletics 
and  gymnasium  work  are  but  two  parts  of  physical  cul- 
ture, each  with  its  own  distinctive  aims,  and  that  in 
many  respects  the  one  part  can  never  fully  take  over  the 
work  of  the  other. 

All  students  in  a  high  school  must  take  the  gym- 
nasium work  just  as  they  must  take  other  required  sub- 
jects. Its  object  is  to  develop  a  healthy  body  and  a 
healthy  mind,  correcting,  as  far  as  possible,  any  physical 
defects,  and  giving  all  grace  and  beauty  of  movement 
and  form. 

Athletics  have  different  aims,  and  in  these  aims  touch 
every  student  just  as  surely  as  does  the  gymnasium  work. 
Athletics  give  opportunity  for  team  games  or  contests 
that  are  instinctive  at  this  time  in  life ;  they  give  oppor- 
tunity for  hero  worship  that  so  delights  the  heart  of 
youth.  Athletics  are  a  great  safety-valve  for  the  hilar- 
iousness  of  youth,  giving  free  outlet  with  least  possible 
danger  of  harm;  here  nationality,  religion,  wealth,  and 
social  position,  sink  out  of  sight  as  in  no  other  activity  of 
the  school.  In  the  flaming  heat  of  enthusiasm  for  our 
team,  our  school,  the  heterogeneous  body  of  scholars  is 
welded  into  a  homogeneous  democracy  that  can  scarcely 
be  equalled. 

That  boy  who  just  now  made  that  touchdown  lives 
in  a  little  home  on  the  border  of  the  slum  district ;  that 
boy  who  just  made  that  fine  run  is  from  the  wealthiest 
home  in  the  most  pretentious  part  of  the  city;  but  the 

190 


ATHLETICS  191 

scholars  care  naught  for  these  things.  The  boys  are  of 
"our  team,"  of  "our  school,"  they  are  "ours." 

Hear  that  yelling  ?  How  it  rends  the  air !  See  that 
high  school  crowd  as  they  lean  forward  with  fists 
clenched  yelling,  "Go  it!"  "Go  it!"  as  the  baU  nears 
their  goal.  As  it  passes  their  goal,  see  them  rise,  hats  in 
air,  arms  gesticulating,  as  they  frantically  follow  their 
yell  leader  in  vociferously  giving  the  high  school  * '  yell. ' ' 

Do  you  think  no  one  gets  anything  out  of  the  game 
but  the  members  of  the  team?  Don't  you  think  such  a 
thing.  What  of  the  little  yell  leader,  whose  gyrations 
would  do  credit  to  a  circus  contortionist  ?  What  of  those 
high  school  boys  and  girls  whose  enthusiastic  yells  fur- 
nish the  inspiration  that  stirs  their  team  to  victory  ?  Do 
they  not  work?  Try  it  and  see.  Do  they  not  get  anything 
out  of  it?  What  gymnasium  teacher  ever  led  them  in 
such  an  exercise  of  inhaling  and  exhaling  God's  free, 
out-door  air?  What  gymnasium  exercise  ever  caused 
the  newly-vitalized  blood  to  course  so  rapidly  through 
the  body  from  mere  joy?  Never  one.  Yet  joy  is  whole- 
some for  young  life. 

The  high  school  football  game  is  a  place  where  every- 
body works,  even  "father."  I  have  seen  "father"  on 
the  bleachers,  hat  off,  arms  gesticulating,  yelling  with 
perfect  abandon,  trying  to  push  his  boy's  team  to  vic- 
tory. 

Football,  basketball  and  other  forms  of  team  games 
are  with  us  to  stay.  There  was  a  time  when  I  feared 
the  dishonesty  so  often  practiced  by  some  high  school 
scholars,  by  some  teachers,  by  some  principals,  and  even 
by  some  superintendents,  might  long  delay  their  proper 
recognition;  but  of  late  there  has  been  vigorous  action 
taken  that  has  greatly  cleaned  up  high  school  athletics, 
and  at  present  all  indications  point  in  the  right  direction. 


192  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

During  the  early  adolescent  years  the  gang  spirit  is 
an  instinct.  It  is  this  instinct  that  binds  together  the 
members  of  a  class,  or  other  school  organization,  and  in  a 
still  greater  body  the  scholars  of  the  whole  school. 
Loyalty  to  one's  school,  or  class,  or  other  organization, 
has  a  mystical  sacredness  about  it  that  seems  to  charm 
and  hold  the  members.  And  woe  is  it  for  him  who  by 
proving  himself  false,  violates  its  sacredness. 

One  evening,  a  few  years  ago,  at  a  contest  basketball 
game  between  a  team  from  a  neighboring  school  and  our 
high  school  team,  one  of  our  team  who  had  been  muck 
honored  for  his  fine  athletic  work,  probably  too  much 
honored,  was  accused  of  playing  to  the  galleries,  of  mak- 
ing spectacular  plays  for  his  own  glory  when  he  should 
have  been  doing  team  work  for  the  school. 

The  school  never  forgave  him.  There  was  no  eruption 
of  feeling  against  him,  but  the  scholars  ceased  to  do  him 
honor.  One  of  the  girls  was  heard  to  say  to  another,  the 
next  morning,  "He's  a  mean  thing.  He  played  for  him- 
self instead  of  helping  the  team  play  for  the  school.  He's 
a  mean  thing."  To  put  self  above  his  team  and  school, 
was  unpardonable. 

No  high  school  athletic  team  ever  plays  for  the  team, 
it  plays  for  the  school.  And  the  school,  when  the  team 
comes  home  from  some  great  victory  with  the  ''bloody 
scalp"  of  some  formidable  rival  school  dangling  at  its 
belt,  feels  it  must  give  expression  to  its  high  appreciation 
of  the  distinguished  honor  conferred  on  it  by  the  defeat 
of  its  rival  on  the  athletic  field,  and  so  calls  a  meeting 
of  all  the  scholars  and  the  faculty  that  they  may  hear 
the  report  of  the  victorious  team,  and  receive  it  with 
shouts  of  joy  and  gladness,  with  songs  of  praise  and 
oratorical  flights  of  appreciation. 


ATHLETICS  193 

Once  when  our  basketball  team  won  the  State  Champ- 
ionship, a  meeting  such  as  had  never  been  known  in  the 
athletic  history  of  the  school  was  held.  It  was  a  meeting 
of  rapid  action  from  9:00  a.  m.  until  12:00  m.,  when 
with  worn-out  voices  and  tired  lungs,  all  were  ready  to 
go  to  their  homes  for  the  noon  lunch. 

As  soon  as  the  high  school  principal  and  I  received 
word  that  the  State  Championship  in  basketball  had  been 
won  by  our  team,  we  began  planning  a  great  reception 
for  the  team,  and  an  athletic  rally.  We  knew  the  school 
would  be  at  high  pitch  and  would  expect  a  "big  time" 
as  the  school  would  call  it,  so  we  began  at  once  to  plan 
a  great,  big  program  that  would  provide  outlets  for  all 
the  boisterous,  highly-wrought-up  emotional  life  that  we 
knew  would  be  present,  outlets  that  would  lead  the  great 
flood  of  emotions  into  channels  where  it  could  pass  off 
with  perfect  safety  to  all.  We  well  knew  that  by  pre- 
paring proper  channels  for  carrying  off  the  cloudburst 
of  youthful  emotion  before  it  came,  it  could  come  in 
mighty  volume  and  do  no  harm. 

First,  we  decided  the  meeting  should  begin  at  9  a.  m. 
and  continue  until  noon.  The  long  session  would  give 
time  for  the  flood  of  emotions  to  run  off  through  the 
channels  of  safety.  With  a  short  meeting,  it  would  be 
necessary  to  dam  up,  at  least  a  part  of  the  floodwaters  of 
emotion  and  they  might  break  through  unexpectedly  and 
do  harm;  but  by  giving  time  for  them  to  drain  off 
through  the  channels  provided,  there  would  be  nothing 
to  fear. 

We  then  invited  and  pledged  to  be  present  the  mayor 
of  the  city,  all  the  leading  athletic  men  of  the  city,  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  secretary  and  physical  director,  three  or 
four  of  the  leading  ministers,  the  members  of  the  Board 
of  Education,  reporters  from  each  of  the  daily  papers, 


194  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

the  fathers  of  the  members  of  the  team,  and  many  others. 

The  leaders  of  the  scholars  were  asked  for  further 
suggestions,  but  said  more  had  been  planned  than  they 
could  have  thought  of,  that  they  could  add  nothing. 
These  leaders  quickly  spread  the  word  among  the  schol- 
ars that  there  was  going  to  be  a  "big  time,"  that  it  was 
all  planned  and  would  be  great. 

At  9 :00  a.  m.  the  several  hundred  scholars  were  in 
their  places.  All  the  prominent  citizens  who  had  been 
pledged  to  be  present,  and  many  others,  were  there. 

The  principal  was  in  charge  of  the  meeting.  In  a 
few  words,  he  stated  the  purpose  of  the  coming-together ; 
and  with  great  pride  gave  the  high  scholastic  standing  of 
each  member  of  the  team,  and  fine  type  of  moral  char- 
acters represented  by  each  team  member.  Cheer  after 
cheer,  followed  these  announcements.  Everybody  cheered, 
for  it  is  not  often  that  every  individual  member  of  an 
athletic  team  represents  the  very  best  elements  of  a 
school  as  the  members  of  this  team  did.  It  was,  indeed, 
a  great  thing  that  each  had  a  record  in  his  studies  and 
in  school  standing  that  he  was  pleased  to  have  placed 
before  that  whole  body  of  scholars  and  the  many  dis- 
tinguished visitors. 

No  time  was  lost.  The  team  was  heard  from;  the 
school  orators  welcomed  them  and  crowned  each  with 
glory;  the  visitors,  the  Board  of  Education,  the  school 
faculty,  all  furnished  speakers.  The  speaking  was  in- 
terspersed with  school  songs,  and  punctuated  with  school 
cheers  and  yells. 

There  was  nothing  to  be  repressed.  No  one  felt  that 
he  did  not  have  a  fine  part  in  the  great  meeting. 

It  was  nearing  twelve  o'clock  noon  when  I  quietly 
asked  the  members  of  the  Board  of  Education  present 
to  give  the  school  the  afternoon  for  a  holiday,  and  meet- 


ATHLETICS  195 

ing  with  favorable  reply,  I  waited  a  moment  for  an  op- 
portunity and  then  announced  that  the  Board  of  Ed- 
ucation, in  honor  of  the  team's  winning  the  State  Cham- 
pionship, had  authorized  me  to  announce  the  afternoon 
a  holiday. 

Again  the  cheering,  and  yells  rent  the  air.  And  then 
the  principal  quietly  dismissed  the  gathering. 

Thus  closed  a  forenoon  that  would  be  a  pleasant 
memory  for  a  lifetime  to  everyone  present;  and  to  many, 
at  the  impressionable  time  of  life,  it  was  an  inspiration 
whose  fruitage  the  coming  years  would  garner. 

Someone  has  said  that  to  win  an  athletic  honor  for  a 
class  or  school  often  makes  a  hero  of  one  who  would  other- 
wise be  almost  unknown,  while  he  who  wins  many  ath- 
letic honors,  becomes  an  object  of  adoration,  the  whole 
school  bowing  to  him,  and  his  particular  satellites  cir- 
cling around  him,  happy  to  reflect  the  light  of  his  glory. 

A  few  years  ago,  one  of  our  football  boys,  after 
having  played  a  splendid  part  in  a  winning  game,  came 
out  of  the  game  with  a  broken  collarbone.  He  was  con- 
veyed home  by  an  admiring  crowd  of  fellow  high  school 
boys  who  were  proud  even  to  be  near  him.  After  taking 
him  into  the  home,  one  of  the  boys  said  to  his  mother, 
"Aren't  you  proud  of  him?"  The  mother  replied: 
"Proud  of  him?  I  don't  see  anything  to  be  proud  of. 
This  only  means  another  doctor  bill  to  pay. ' ' 

Another  mother  one  day,  in  talking  to  me  of  her  boy, 
a  strong,  physically  healthy  boy  of  our  high  school,  said 
that  she  had  told  him  that  morning  at  breakfast  that  they 
were  getting  tired  of  hearing  the  praises  of  one  par- 
ticular high  school  boy  sung  at  the  table  three  times  a 
day,  and  would  like  to  have  a  change ;  and  that  the  boy, 
very  much  offended,  had  replied  that  it  didn't  seem  she 
could  appreciate  what  great  things  his  friend  had  done. 


196  YOUE  PEOBLEMS  AND  MINE 

I  smiled,  but  said  to  the  mother  that  she  ought  to  be 
thankful  that  her  boy  had  chosen  as  his  hero  an  athlete 
of  clean  morals  and  high  ideals,  whose  influence  over 
younger  boys  such  as  hers,  could  be  none  other  than 
wholesome. 

********* 

I  have  said  that  athletics  are  a  great  safety-valve  to 
let  out  the  hilariousness  of  youth  with  but  little  possible 
harm.  This  is  true,  but  there  are  evils  attendant  on 
athletics  that  need  to  be  guarded  against  or  serious  con- 
sequences sometimes  follow.  Yet  of  late  years,  as  I  have 
said,  these  attendant  evils  are  being  reduced  toward  the 
minimum.  The  scholarship  requirements  now  shut  out 
the  class  that  once  came  into  high  schools  for  the  football 
season,  a  class  whose  presence  was  a  great  handicap  to 
the  work  of  the  school.  Principals  and  superintending 
officers  are  more  careful  than  ever  before  to  see  that  boys 
are  up  with  all  the  requirements  of  the  rules  under 
which  the  game  is  to  be  played  before  certifying  to  their 
eligibility.  However,  there  are  still  to  be  found  some 
school  principals  and  superintendents  who,  to  say  the 
least,  are  very  careless  in  this  respect  and  thereby  do 
great  harm. 

Once  before  I  became  superintendent  at  Blooming- 
ton,  when  our  high  school  boys  played  a  high  school 
team  from  another  town,  the  principal  from  the  other 
school  came  with  the  boys  and  signed  for  them  certify- 
ing they  were  bona  fide  high  scholars  of  that  school,  up 
with  their  work,  and  in  every  way  eligible  to  play  under 
the  requirements  of  the  rules  under  which  the  game  was 
to  be  played.  Everything  seemed  all  right. 

The  visiting  team  won  the  game,  and  everything 
passed  off  pleasantly.  However,  it  was  but  a  few  days 


ATHLETICS  197 

till  we  learned  positively  that  two  boys  to  whom  the 
principal  had  certified,  had  not  been  in  the  high  school 
that  year,  in  fact,  were  not  high  school  boys  at  all. 

One  year  when  our  Bloomington  High  School  foot- 
ball team  was  weak,  after  our  manager  and  team  had 
gone  to  another  city  to  play  a  game  and  had  seen  the 
strong  team  that  our  team  was  ''up  against,"  our  man- 
ager deliberately  signed  up  false  certificates  of  eligi- 
bility for  some  of  our  boys  who  had  accompanied  the 
team  but  were  not  eligible  to  play,  and  put  them  in  the 
places  of  some  of  the  weaker  men  on  our  team. 

It  is  sufficient  to  say  that  this  teacher  never  had  an- 
other opportunity  to  commit  a  like  offense.  He  ceased  to 
function  as  manager  of  our  team. 

The  matter  of  a  coach  has  been  a  serious  problem  to 
principals  and  superintendents.  The  one  who  coaches 
must  be  trained  for  his  work.  He  should  be  a  member 
of  the  school  teaching  force,  sustaining  the  same  relation 
to  the  principal,  superintendent,  and  board  of  education 
that  the  other  teachers  do.  This  makes  him  directly  re- 
sponsible to  the  principal  and  superintendent.  This 
places  the  responsibility  for  properly  conducted  ath- 
letics in  the  hands  of  the  principal  and  superintendent, 
and  at  the  same  time  gives  them  absolute  control.  They 
select  the  coach,  and  on  their  recommendation,  the  board 
employs  him.  Their  ideals  of  fair  play,  of  honesty,  of 
decency,  are  to  mark  all  athletics  of  the  school.  A  coach 
is  selected  with  like  ideals.  This  arrangement  is  the  best 
possible.  The  coach  inspires  his  athletics  by  putting  the 
same  ideals  before  them,  not  only  by  what  he  says,  but 
also  by  his  living  up  to  his  ideals  in  all  he  has  to  do  with 
the  boys.  Only  those  in  close  touch  know  the  wonderful 
influence  a  coach  has  over  the  boys  who  are  under  his 
training. 


198  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

But  where  coaches  are  not  employed  as  members  of 
the  teaching  corps,  where  some  young  man  about  the 
city  or  town  is  picked  up  (picked  up  is  the  proper  term) 
by  the  principal  or  superintendent,  because  he  knows  the 
games  and  can  be  secured  for  a  mere  pittance,  as  he 
makes  it  a  side  line  to  his  regular  business,  the  situation 
is  fraught  with  danger  first  of  all  to  the  boys,  then  to 
the  school,  and  to  the  whole  community.  In  many  of  the 
smaller  towns,  this  is  the  only  plan  that  has  been  possible 
and  the  heads  of  the  schools  must  make  the  best  of  the 
situation. 

Under  this  second  plan,  the  coach  often  plays  for 
favor  with  the  boys  and  fails  to  hold  up  to  the  ideals  of 
the  school.  Sometimes  he  puts  wild  notions  into  the 
boys,  notions  that  could  not  be  carried  out  with  the 
sanction  of  the  school,  so  he  brings  a  grouchy  feeling 
against  the  school  on  the  part  of  the  athletes.  I  have 
seen  good  schools  in  small  towns  rent  to  pieces  in  their 
work  by  the  unfortunate  feelings  brought  about  by 
badly-conducted  athletics.  The  situation  that  sometimes 
arises  where  athletics  seem  "to  run"  the  school  makes 
me  think  of  the  old  saying  about  the  dog  and  his  tail: 
"It  is  all  right  when  the  dog  wags  his  tail,  but  the  dog 
is  in  danger  when  the  tail  wags  the  dog."  It  is  ail 
right  for  the  school  when  the  school  controls  athletics, 
but  the  school  is  in  danger  when  athletics  control  the 
school. 

Sometimes  the  sporting  element  in  a  community  be- 
comes deeply  interested  in  high  school  athletics,  and 
even  goes  so  far  as  to  try  to  control  the  school  athletics. 
When  this  happens  in  some  of  the  smaller  towns,  con- 
fusion often  comes  into  the  school,  interfering  greatly 
with  the  efficiency  of  the  high  school.  With  the  better 
organization  of  the  larger  high  school,  and  a  coach  who 


ATHLETICS  199 

is  a  member  of  the  high  school  faculty,  this  outside  in- 
fluence has  but  little  effect. 

Honest  play  should  be  the  rule  in  all  athletic  games. 

But  is  it  always  the  rule  ?  Mr.  J.  M had  a  college 

record  in  athletics  when  he  came  from  the  university  to 
teach  in  our  high  school  so  was  deeply  interested  in  our 
high  school  athletics,  and  because  of  his  interest  spent 
much  time  assisting  the  coach.  In  fact,  he  made  himself 
in  many  ways  very  helpful.  But  we  soon  learned  his 
ideals  of  fair  play,  of  honest  play,  were  far  below  the 
ideals  of  our  school. 

Our  team  was  to  play  a  return  game  with  a  neigh- 
boring team  that  was  very  strong,  much  stronger  than 

our  own.  Mr.  J.  M was  very  anxious  to  see  our 

team  win  the  game.  He  had  studied  the  neighboring 
team  well.  He  knew  that  the  best  player  on  that  team 
had  a  badly-injured  knee  and  that  the  team  with  this 
one  man  off  was  about  an  equal  chance  with  our  team. 
So  he  said  to  our  team  boys:  "Get  after  the  crack 
player  on  the  other  team  and  put  him  out  of  business 
by  doing  up  his  injured  knee.  With  him  out  of  the  way, 
you  stand  a  good  show  to  win  the  game,  so  do  up  that 
knee ;  do  it  one  way  if  you  can't  another.  You  can  do  it 
in  a  way  not  to  be  called  down  for  it;  but  be  sure  the 
first  thing  you  really  try  to  do  is  to  put  him  out  of  con- 
dition. That's  your  winning  card." 

I  was  surprised  and  disappointed  in  this  teacher's 
ideal  of  honesty  in  athletics,  for  I  had  had  occasion  to 
know  of  his  high  ideal  of  honesty  in  some  other  dealings. 
But  this  was  dangerous  to  our  boys  all  the  more,  be- 
cause this  teacher  had  been  a  star  athlete  in  university 
athletics. 

These  are  only  a  few  of  the  many  attendant  evils 
that  must  be  guarded  against. 


200  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AXD  MINE 

Another  danger  comes  from  handling  the  money  side 
of  athletics.  In  handling  the  money  that  comes  from 
high  school  athletics,  I  think  too  often  teachers,  prin- 
cipals, or  superintendents,  as  happens  to  be,  tempt  boys 
to  be  dishonest  when  they  think  they  are  trusting  them. 
I  have  already  spoken  of  my  great  faith  in  high  school 
scholars  and  how,  in  some  things,  I  would  trust  them 
far.  It  is  no  lack  of  faith  in  their  honesty  that  leads 
me  to  say  what  I  am  about  to  say  concerning  the  hand- 
ling of  the  athletic  money  or  other  school  funds:  but 
rather  it  is  my  desire  to  help  them  keep  their  own  faith 
in  their  own  honesty  strong  by  making  conditions  under 
which  they  handle  the  money  of  the  school  such  as  to 
reduce  to  the  minimum  the  possibility  of  their  being 
dishonest.  There  was  a  time  when  by  permitting  the 
loose  handling  of  athletic  and  other  school  funds,  I 
placed  temptation  in  the  way  of  many,  and  to  my  sor- 
row, some  few  yielded  to  the  temptation. 

What  would  be  a  temptation  to  some  young  people 
of  high  school  age  would  be  no  temptation  at  all  to  them 
when  they  are  a  little  older.  The  school  should  help  to 
tide  them  over  this  period  of  uncertainty  and  thus  in- 
crease the  probability  of  their  being  honest  men  and 
women. 

Where  the  high  school  is  sufficiently  large  to  em- 
ploy a  number  of  teachers,  without  offense  to  any 
scholar,  a  high  school  teacher  can  be  appointed  to  take 
charge  of  the  money,  one  known  to  have  ability  in  or- 
ganizing and  keeping  track  of  things.  He  should  keep 
a  record  of  all  tickets  printed;  tickets  given  out  to  be 
sold  to  whom  and  how  many,  and  the  return  of  all 
tickets  not  sold  as  well  as  the  money  for  those  sold. 
He  can  call  other  teachers  to  assist  him,  and  he  can 
make  use  of  scholars  to  help  him  in  places  where  there 


ATHLETICS  201 

would  be  no  possibility  of  their  slipping  out  money  for 
their  own  use. 

Where  the  school  is  small  and  the  principal  has  only 
school  boys  to  help  him  with  managing  the  games,  it  is 
better  for  all  for  him  to  give  other  parts  of  the  manage- 
ment to  the  boys  to  look  after,  and  he  himself  keep  his 
hands  on  the  money. 

I  could  give  case  after  case,  some  coming  up  in  my 
own  work,  where  boys  were  permitted  to  handle  money 
in  a  careless  way  and  so  used  for  themselves  money  that 
should  have  been  accounted  for,  and  some  cases  given 
me  by  other  school-men,  that  would  be  strong  evidence 
of  the  need  of  more  care  than  is  often  exercised  in  hand- 
ling the  athletic  funds. 

The  conduct  of  the  members  of  a  team  when  on  a 
trip  to  another  city  or  town  to  play  a  game  can  usually 
be  taken  care  of  with  but  little  difficulty,  if  the  coach 
and  manager  are  of  the  proper  type;  but  where  the 
coach  plays  into  the  hands  of  the  boys  of  the  team  trying 
to  win  their  favor  and  be  popular,  hoping  thus  to  hold 
his  job  for  another  year,  and  the  manager  is  either  weak 
or  indifferent,  the  conduct  of  the  team  while  on  the  trip 
depends  altogether  on  the  character  of  the  members  of 
the  team.  I  learned  by  experience  that  a  principal  or 
superintendent  cannot  look  up  too  carefully  the  char- 
acter of  a  coach  before  engaging  him  for  his  school. 
Sometimes  it  happens  that  their  college  or  university 
training  for  the  work  of  high  school  coaching  wholly 
unfits  them  for  the  work  they  have  been  trained  to  do. 

One  year  we  employed  a  young  man  for  high  school 
athletic  coach  who  had  made  a  great  record  in  college 
athletics,  and  had  taken  high  school  athletic  coaching 
under  a  noted  college  coach  who  taught  a  class  in  high 
school  coaching.  He  came  to  us  highly  recommended, 


202  YOUB  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

but  he  failed  to  make  good.  He  had  been  with  us  but  a 
short  time  when  the  principal  learned  that  in  trying  to 
get  work  out  of  the  boys  on  the  training  field  he  was 
continually  cursing  them,  hurling  one  oath  after  an- 
other at  them.  The  boys  resented  such  language. 

The  principal  had  an  interview  with  him  and  spoke 
of  his  language.  He  admitted  that  he  had  been  cursing 
the  boys  on  the  training  field;  but  said  that  he  had 
never  thought  anything  about  it,  that  it  was  the  same 
language  that  the  coach  at  the  college  had  used  when 
training  the  class  for  high  school  coaches,  and  that  he 
was  only  following  his  college  coach  when  he  cursed  his 
high  school  boys  in  coaching  them.  He  said  he  would 
give  up  the  cursing  and  use  language  satisfactory  to  the 
school ;  but  his  ideals  of  athletics  in  general  were  too  far 
below  the  ideals  of  the  school,  both  of  scholars  and  of 
faculty,  so  the  close  of  the  year  terminated  his  stay  with 
us. 

A  good  coach,  dependable  to  the  limit,  efficient  in  his 
coaching,  high-minded,  enthusiastic  and  inspiring,  is  a 
joy  to  the  principal  and  superintendent;  but  a  coach 
that  is  untrustworthy,  unreliable,  a  coach  with  low 
ideals,  and  of  improper  language,  even  though  an  ex- 
pert in  coaching,  is  a  thorn  in  the  flesh  to  both  principal 
and  superintendent,  and  the  sooner  he  is  removed  the 
better  for  all. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

SOME  CONSIDERATIONS  FOR  THE  HEALTH  OF 

GIRLS  OF  THE  GRAMMAR  GRADES 

AND  HIGH  SCHOOL 

The  first  few  years  of  a  boy's  adolescent  period  from 
some  points  do  not  need  the  same  kind  of  hygenic  con- 
sideration that  should  be  given  girls.  Any  undue  ex- 
posure or  nervous  strain  with  girls  of  this  age  is  liable  to 
irregularities  that  may  be  far-reaching  in  their  evil 
after-effects.  Wet  clothing  or  wet  feet  from  coming  to 
school  in  rain,  or  snow,  or  a  chill  from  any  cause,  may 
have  serious  consequences.  It  is  far  better  for  girls 
of  this  age  whose  clothing  has  become  damp  or  wet  to 
send  them  home  for  the  remainder  of  the  day  than  to 
take  the  risk  of  injuring  their  health  by  having  them  sit 
in  school  with  damp  clothing.  A  broken  attendance 
record  is  better  than  .broken  health.  We  sometimes 
put  so  great  stress  on  regularity  of  attendance,  and  it 
is  of  great  importance,  that  we  forget  to  remember  that 
there  are  other  things  that  may  greatly  outweigh  reg- 
ularity of  attendance.  Health  should  always  be  first 
considered. 

It  is  not  an  uncommon  thing  for  a  mother  to  insist 
on  great  pressure  being  put  on  her  daughter  when  the 
girl  is  in  a  nervous  condition  that  demands  rest.  And 
again  teachers  sometimes  fail  to  appreciate  that  the 
highly-nervous  girl,  otherwise  in  apparently  the  best  of 
health,  may  not  be  in  a  condition  to  bear  great  mental 
strain  without  injury.  But  if  the  words  of  those  who 
have  given  careful  attention  to  the  study  of  the  laws  of 
the  human  body  are  of  value,  teachers  cannot  study  too 
carefully  the  physical  condition  that  needs  careful  at- 

203 


204  YOUE  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

tent  ion  at  this  age.  In  general,  with  proper  care  on  the 
part  of  parents  and  intelligent  thoughtfulness  on  the 
part  of  teachers,  the  girls  during  this  period  can  do  a 
good  qualitjr  of  school  work  and  their  full  share  of  it 
without  injury  of  any  kind.  But  without  an  intelligent 
understanding  of  these  natural  conditions  to  be  met, 
these  girls  are  sometimes  taxed  both  at  home  and  at 
school,  and  as  a  result,  pay  the  penalty  of  the  violation 
of  the  laws  of  their  physical  being,  laws  violated  un- 
consciously by  parents  and  teachers. 

I  would  not  be  misunderstood,  I  do  not  wish  anyone 
for  a  moment  to  believe  that  I  am  in  favor  of  accept- 
ing inferior  work  or  short  work  from  girls  of  this  age, 
for  I  am  not;  but  I  have  learned  from  years  of  ob- 
servation that  some  girls  at  this  period  of  their  lives  are 
unduly  pressed,  by  both  the  home  and  the  school,  on 
days  when  they  should  be  quietly  resting  at  home.  Again 
it  often  requires  an  effort  on  the  part  of  both  teacher 
and  parents  to  hold  back  highly-sensitive  girls,  ambitious 
to  stand  at  the  front  in  their  classes.  The  very  fact  that 
they  are  in  classes  with  others,  has  in  these  cases  an 
undue  stimulating  effect ;  and  so  it  remains  for  the  par- 
ents and  teacher  to  guard  this  in  whatever  way  seems 
best.  These  cases,  however,  are  the  exception  and  not 
the  rule.  The  following  is  a  statement  of  how  two  cases 
of  this  kind  were  managed  by  the  parents  and  teacher. 

The  first  girl  had  always  led  her  class  with  little 
effort  and  as  the  first  indications  of  approaching  woman- 
hood came  to  her,  she  became  very  sensitive  and  nervous. 
She  was  in  the  seventh  grade.  Instead  of  being  easy 
and  contented  in  her  school-work,  she  was  anxious  about 
it  both  at  home  and  at  school.  Not  a  moment  of  time 
was  to  be  wasted  either  at  school  or  at  home.  One  day's 
work  was  scarcely  completed  until  she  was  worrying 


HEALTH  OF  GIRLS  205 

over  the  work  of  the  coming  day ;  she  was  sure  she  was 
going  to  fail  in  the  lessons  on  the  morrow.  The  teacher 
grew  concerned  about  the  girl;  said  she  was  perfect  in 
her  work,  but  was  painfully  nervous.  At  home,  her 
parents,  intelligent  persons,  fully  posted  as  to  her 
physical  condition,  tried  to  take  her  mind  off  her  school 
work,  but  all  to  no  purpose,  as  she  felt  sure  others  would 
outrank  her  if  she  did  not  devote  all  of  her  time  to  the 
preparation  of  her  lessons.  The  parents  finally,  after 
an  interview  with  her  teacher  and  her  principal,  on  their 
advice  and  the  recommendation  of  their  family  physi- 
cian, took  her  out  of  school  for  the  remainder  of  the 
school  year.  As  long  as  she  was  in  school,  the  incentive 
of  standing  at  the  head  of  her  class  was  to  her  a  stim- 
ulus that  neither  parents  nor  teacher,  nor  the  two  com- 
bined, could  control.  After  being  out  of  school  a  year, 
spending  much  of  that  time  in  the  open  air,  with  quieted 
nerves  and  renewed  vigor,  she  re-entered  school,  content 
to  do  her  best,  day  by  day,  without  worrying  over  the 
failures  that  might  possibly  come  on  the  morrow. 

One  day  I  was  in  the  office  of  one  of  our  elementary 
school  principals  when  she  was  holding  a  conference 
with  a  mother  of  one  of  our  eighth  grade  girls.  The 
principal  knew  the  condition  of  the  girl's  health  and 
very  kindly  advised  the  mother  to  take  her  out  of  school 
for  the  semester  or  the  remainder  of  the  year;  she  said 
to  the  mother  that  her  daughter  was  a  fine  girl,  but  was 
not  able  to  do  her  work,  that  she  was  not  at  all  well ; 
that  her  falling  short  in  her  work  was  due  to  her  not 
being  well ;  that  the  wise  thing  for  the  mother  to  do  was 
to  let  the  girl  drop  out  of  school  for  the  semester  or 
until  she  had  regained  her  usual  health.  She  also  ad- 
vised the  mother  to  go  with  her  daughter  to  their  family 


203  YOUE  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

physician  and  consult  him  as  to  what  would  be  wisest 
to  do. 

The  mother  was  very  grateful  for  the  kindly  interest 
of  the  principal,  but  said  that  she  could  hardly  give  up 
the  thought  of  her  daughter's  completing  the  work 
of  the  eighth  grade  that  year.  However,  she  acted  on 
the  principal's  advice,  and  permitted  her  daughter  to 
rest  the  remainder  of  the  year.  It  is  not  at  all  prob- 
able that  the  girl's  state  of  health  was  due  to  school 
work,  but  rather  to  the  lack  of  proper  attention  at  home, 
still  it  was  well  for  the  girl  that  the  principal's  intelli- 
gence directed  the  mother  to  the  proper  source  for  help, 
the  family  physician. 

Girls  of  this  age  even  more  than  any  other,  should 
be  in  the  hands  of  teachers  of  strong,  even,  winning, 
commanding  personalities;  anything  of  the  nagging  or 
the  faultfinding  type  of  teacher  is  wholly  out  of  place 
with  girls  at  this  period  of  life.  These  qualities  in  a 
teacher  are  out  of  place  anywhere,  but  with  delicate 
girls  at  this  time  of  life,  they  are  really  harmful. 

Since  all  girls  do  not  pass  through  these  earlier 
changes  before  entering  high  school,  the  same  care  in 
many  cases  is  necessary  to  be  exercised  in  the  high 
school.  A  knowledge  of  the  physical  conditions  as  af- 
fecting the  health  of  the  girls,  is  of  highest  importance 
to  all  high  school  teachers.  They  should  know  that  ex- 
posure of  any  kind,  nagging,  sarcasm,  scolding,  and 
anger  on  the  part  of  the  teacher,  may  produce  very  un- 
fortunate results  on  the  physical  and  mental  health  of 
some  of  the  girls.  In  some  cases,  the  nervous  strain 
during  a  recitation  where  the  girl  sits  in  fear  of  the 
cutting  words  and  look  of  the  sarcastic  teacher  is  so 
great  that  an  attack  of  hysteria  follows  the  recitation 
period. 


HEALTH  OF  GIRLS  207 

A  few  years  ago,  a  mother  called  to  talk  with  me 
about  her  daughter,  who  was  at  that  time  in  our  high 
school.  The  girl  had  come  into  the  high  school  a  mere 
child,  and  was  just  entering  upon  the  changes  incident 
to  her  age  of  life. 

In  the  high  school,  she  recited  to  one  teacher  of  whose 
severe  manner  and  sharp  words  she  stood  in  constant 
fear.  While  he  did  not  have  occasion  to  speak  severely 
to  her,  she  was  always  expecting  him  to  do  so.  This 
recitation  came  the  last  hour  before  noon  each  day.  As 
soon  as  the  recitation  was  over,  she  would  go  home  and 
for  the  next  half -hour  or  more  sit  and  cry  in  a  hysterical 
condition,  from  the  effects  of  the  class  strain.  Nor  was 
this  the  only  one  affected  in  this  manner  by  this  teacher. 
One  morning  at  the  close  of  one  of  this  same  teacher's 
recitations,  one  of  the  girls  was  so  very  sick  that  one 
of  the  woman  teachers  took  charge  of  her  in  the 
teachers'  private  room.  When  the  teacher  kindly  asked 
her  why  she  had  come  to  school  that  morning  when  she 
was  so  unwell,  the  girl  replied  that  she  would  suffer 
anything  rather  than  be  absent  from  that  teacher's  reci- 
tation as  she  was  deathly  afraid  of  him  and  especially 
if  she  missed  a  recitation  which  she  would  have  to  make 
up  to  him. 

The  teacher  was  talked  with  in  regard  to  his  sar- 
castic manner  and  its  injurious  effects  on  delicate,  ner- 
vous girls;  but  all  to  no  purpose.  He  did  not  believe 
that  their  being  afraid  to  be  called  down,  as  he  put  it, 
for  poor  work  or  irregular  attendance  was  injurious  in 
any  way;  but  said  that  he  was  sure  of  one  thing  he 
could  make  them  afraid  not  to  work.  As  he  could  not 
see  that  his  manner  was  injurious  to  those  under  his  in- 
struction, it  was  necessary  to  dispense  with  his  services 
as  a  teacher. 


208  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

These  same  girls  under  other  teachers  did  excellent 
work,  were  not  unduly  nervous,  nor  in  any  way  un- 
favorably affected  by  their  work.  They  were  of  the 
highest  class  of  students. 

School  work  secured  at  so  great  a  sacrifice  of  the 
nervous  system  of  young  girls  is  a  curse.  The  evil 
effects,  possibly,  can  never  be  measured.  Yet  some 
teachers  permit  themselves  to  fall  into  the  habit  of  using 
sarcasm,  of  exacting  in  a  severe  manner  lesson  prep- 
aration instead  of  inspiring  it,  and  so  lose  their  use- 
fulness. 

We  should  study  to  know  ourselves,  to  see  if  we  are 
growing  as  true  teachers,  leaders,  inspirers  of  those 
under  our  instruction;  or  if  we  are  degenerating  into 
mere  whipcrackers,  "  lesson  exacters,"  disagreeable 
class-room  drivers.  Teachers  of  this  latter  type  too 
often  think  that  they  are  the  only  ones  who  secure  good 
work  of  the  scholars;  they  often  look  upon  the  teacher 
whose  strong,  gracious  manner  is  a  masterful  force  in 
the  class-room  as  in  some  way  or  other  a  sham,  simply 
because  they  have  so  lost  themselves  to  the  higher  forms 
of  teaching  that  they  cannot  understand  that  the 
mightiest  compelling  force  in  the  preparation  of  lessons 
is  the  thoroughly  aroused  desire  and  will  on  the  part  of 
the  scholar;  that  that  teacher  is  an  artist  of  high  order 
who  arouses  in  the  scholar  the  desire  and  the  witt  to 
prepare  the  lessons  in  the  most  perfect  manner  so  that 
the  scholar  enters  upon  the  most  difficult  preparation 
with  joy,  and  from  day  to  day  looks  forward  not  only 
to  the  preparation  and  the  recitation,  but  to  all  the 
work  of  the  school  with  pleasure.  All  real  teachers 
possess  this  power  of  inspiration  to  a  greater  or  less  de- 
gree. These  teachers  reveal  to  the  scholars  the  ' '  blessed- 
ness of  drudgery,"  so  that  while  girls  of  this  age  do  hard 


HEALTH  OF  GIRLS  209 

work  for  these  teachers,  work  not  in  itself  interesting, 
and  labor  with  greatest  care  to  be  thoroughly  prepared 
for  the  recitation,  yet  through  it  all,  the  joy  of  work 
takes  away  the  nerve-wearing  strain  that  breaks  down 
the  nervous  system. 

There  is  another  type  of  girl  whose  health  at  this 
time  needs  attention.  It  is  the  nervous,  giggling, 
simpering,  smiling,  boy-struck  girl,  sometimes  possessing 
wonderful  attraction  for  her  boy  friends.  She  has  lost 
all  power  of  concentration  on  her  school  work;  all  her 
force  seems  to  dissipate  itself  through  her  smiles  and  her 
giggles,  until  there  is  nothing  left  for  the  serious  pur- 
poses of  school.  But  the  step  from  her  giggles  and 
smiles  to  her  tears  is  not  of  a  span's  breadth,  and  from 
her  tears  to  hysteric  sobs  is  so  short  that  it  cannot  be 
measured. 

Teachers  may  call  her  silly,  they  may  call  her  weak, 
but  she  is  theirs  to  care  for;  and  she  is  not  responsible 
for  her  condition.  The  real  cause  of  these  things  that 
so  break  into  her  school  work  for  a  greater  or  less  time, 
may  be  due  partly  to  her  inheritance,  physical  and 
mental;  and  partly  to  conditions  surrounding  her.  Her 
nervous  sensibility  is  so  acute  that  if  teachers  fail  to 
appreciate  her  as  she  is,  and  attempt  the  impossible,  of 
making  her  what  she  cannot  be,  they  may  do  her  harm. 
Quiet,  private  talks  with  her,  with  a  full  appreciation 
of  her  helplessness  to  be  other  than  she  is,  gives 
teachers  their  greatest  influence  with  her,  and  enables 
them  to  tide  her  over  the  period  of  greatest  instability. 

If  teachers  realize  that  in  these  cases  their  work  is 
to  help  the  helpless,  not  to  correct  offenders,  this  mental 
attitude  on  the  part  of  teachers  makes  possible  a  treat- 
ment of  these  girls  that  at  least  does  not  unduly  in- 


210  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

tensify  the  extreme  nervousness  to  which  for  the  time 
being  they  are  subject. 

Of  course,  these  girls  do  not  master  their  work,  nor 
do  they  receive  credit  for  it;  but  the  time  comes  later  in 
most  of  these  cases  when  they  again  set  themselves  to 
their  lessons  with  a  will  that  accomplishes  things. 

Winifred  Douglas  was  one  of  these  nervous,  giggly, 
simpering,  smiling,  boy-struck,  boy-charming  girls  when 
she  entered  the  high  school.  She  had  passed  out  of  the 
eighth  grade  with  marks  that  were  only  slightly  above 
the  passing;  but  now  that  she  was  in  the  high  school, 
she  was  in  a  more  excited  state  than  ever,  so  giggly,  so 
smiling,  that  it  seemed  all  the  mental  power  she  had 
ever  had  was  dissipated  in  smiles  and  giggles. 

She  was  in  the  high  school  almost  two  years  when 
her  father,  the  business  head  of  their  home,  died,  leav- 
ing his  business  in  a  condition  that  did  not  promise  well 
for  the  interests  of  the  family.  But  Winifred,  the 
smiling,  giggling  girl,  stepped  into  her  father's  place, 
took  the  reins  of  his  business  into  her  own  hands; 
straightened  out  the  business  of  the  office;  made  col- 
lections, paid  bills,  solicited  and  secured  new  business, 
and  pushed  the  work  with  so  much  energy  and  business 
insight,  that  able  business  men  who  knew  her  work,  re- 
ferred to  her  as  a  young  woman  of  fine  business  ability. 

In  her  high  school  work,  she  was  not  much  of  a 
success;  but  in  business,  she  succeeded  where  some  of 
her  ablest  high  school  teachers  would  have  failed. 

I  do  not  know  what  she  got  out  of  her  high  school; 
but  I  do  know  that  she  received  right  consideration  and 
kind  treatment  from  her  teachers. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

A  PERIOD  OF  RAPID  GROWTH;  A  PERIOD  OF 

LOWERED  INTELLECTUAL  POWER; 

A  PERIOD  OF  STIMULATED 

INTELLECTUAL  POWER 

An  Open  Way  to  Those  Quick  at  Learning — 
Give  Time  to  the  Slow  Scholar 

One  Friday  afternoon,  the  week  of  our  mid-year  ex- 
amination, I  passed  from  my  office  into  one  of  the 
nearby  recitation  rooms  to  speak  with  the  teacher,  and 
on  entering  the  room  saw  Morton  Black  sitting  in  a 
seat  waiting  his  turn  to  receive  the  teacher's  attention. 
He  looked  so  woe-begone,  so  distressed,  that  I  said, 
4 'Well,  Morton,  how  is  everything?" 

"Not  very  good,"  he  replied,  "I've  failed  in  almost 
all  my  studies." 

I  looked  at  him.  It  seemed  to  me  in  the  half  year 
he  had  stretched  out  a  foot  in  height.  His  long,  lank 
body  instantly  suggested  to  me  the  cause  of  his  failure, 
so  I  replied :  ' '  That 's  too  bad,  but  next  semester  things 
will  come  out  better." 

He  had  once  been  a  good  student,  but  his  vital  forces 
for  a  time  had  been  occupied  with  building  up  the  bony 
frame  of  his  body  to  the  neglect  of  his  brain;  later  his 
brain  would  receive  due  attention.  But  the  boy  did  not 
understand  this,  so  was  distressed. 

A  little  later  that  afternoon,  the  principal  came  into 
my  office.  I  called  his  attention  to  Morton,  and  asked 
him  if  he  had  thought  of  the  cause  of  his  failure.  He 
said  that  he  had  not.  I  then  said  that  I  believed  it  was 
due  to  his  rapid  growth;  that  for  the  few  months  just 

211 


212  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

past  he  had  been  running  up  like  a  weed;  that  his  vital 
forces  had  been  so  occupied  with  this  work  of  building 
up  a  big  body  that  there  was  probably  little  force  left 
for  brain  work. 

The  principal  replied :  ' '  I  know  you  are  right.  He 
has  been  making  a  tremendous  growth,  and  it  has  left 
him  listless,  and  somewhat  helpless  to  do  mental  work. ' ' 

I  said  further:  "Be  sure  to  speak  to  his  teachers 
about  him  that  they  may  not  say  anything  that  would 
make  him  think  they  were  scolding  him  for  failing.  Of 
course,  he  must  repeat  the  studies  in  which  he  has 
failed ;  but  he  is  very  sensitive  and  must  not  be  made  to 
feel  that  he  is  being  found  fault  with  for  having  failed. 
He  will  soon  be  himself  again  and  do  as  good  work  as  in 
the  past." 

The  principal  agreed  fully  with  me  concerning 
Morton,  and  felt  that  care  must  be  taken  not  to  lose  him 
while  he  was  in  this  unsettled,  and  to  himself,  unsatis- 
factory condition. 

Saturday  evening,  about  five  o'clock,  Morton  and  his 
father  called  at  the  principal's  office,  but  as  he  was  not 
in,  they  came  to  my  office  to  inquire  for  him.  As  they 
came  into  my  office,  the  father  looked  like  a  thunder- 
cloud, and  Morton  as  though  he  had  lost  his  last  friend. 

The  father  asked  for  the  principal.  I  replied  that  he 
had  started  for  his  home  a  few  minutes  before ;  that  he 
would  be  pleased  to  have  them  call  at  his  home.  As  the 
principal  lived  but  a  short  distance  from  the  high  school, 
they  decided  to  call  on  him  at  his  home. 

When  they  called  at  the  principal's  home,  the  father 
said  that  he  had  not  come  to  find  fault  with  the  school, 
principal,  or  teachers,  but  that  he  was  all  out  of  humor 
with  the  boy.  "Here,"  said  he,  "Morton  has  been  in 
school  regularly  all  the  semester  and  now  at  the  close  is 


CHANGES  IN  INTELLECTUAL  POWER  213 

a  failure  in  almost  everything."  Before  he  could  say 
more,  the  principal  said:  "I  wish  I  could  talk  with 
you  privately  some  time." 

Immediately  the  father  turned  to  Morton,  handed 
him  a  street-car  ticket,  and  said:  "You  go  home,  I'll 
be  there  soon."  Then  giving  his  attention  to  the  prin- 
cipal he  asked :  ' '  Now  what  is  it  you  wish  to  say  ? ' ' 

The  principal  then  related  to  him  the  conversation 
we  had  had  concerning  the  boy.  The  father  listened 
attentively.  Then  he  replied:  "I  know  you  are  right. 
Morton  came  to  my  office  every  afternoon  at  the  close  of 
school  and  gave  his  time  to  his  lessons  in  my  presence, 
and  seemed  to  be  interested  in  his  studies  and  trying  to 
do  his  work.  I  know  you  are  right,  but  I  ought  not  to 
have  to  come  to  you  schoolmen  to  learn  the  condition  of 
my  boy  at  this  time  of  his  life." 

Morton  repeated  the  work  in  which  he  had  failed, 
and  before  he  graduated  from  the  high  school  he  had 
come  back  to  his  former  power  to  do  school  work. 

Since  graduating  from  the  high  school,  he  has  grad- 
uated from  college  and  from  a  professional  school  and 
is  now  a  young  professional  man  of  good  standing. 
*####**** 

"William  Mathews  was  a  fine  student  in  the  grammar 
grades.  In  his  eighth  grade  work  he  was  the  leader  of 
his  class.  He  was  thirteen,  and  a  half,  years  of  age 
when  he  entered  the  high  school,  still  in  knee-pants,  and 
still  more  boy  than  youth. 

The  first  year  in  high  school  he  did  good  work,  but 
not  brilliant.  During  this  first  year  he  was  making 
great  changes  physically.  The  second  year  brought  still 
greater  changes  to  him;  and  by  the  end  of  his  second 
year,  he  was  one  of  the  tall  boys  of  the  school,  six  feet 


214  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

in  height.  The  last  week  in  June  of  this  his  second  year 
in  high  school,  he  told  me  he  was  not  going  to  be  in 
school  the  next  year;  that  he  was  not  going  to  school 
any  more. 

I  was  surprised,  and  asked  what  was  the  cause  of 
his  dropping  out  of  school,  of,  as  he  said,  ' '  Quitting  for 
good." 

He  then  said  that  he  had  got  so  he  couldn't  learn 
as  he  used  to  learn,  and  so  thought  the  best  thing  for 
him  to  do  was  to  go  to  work.  He  said  that  he  didn't 
know  what  was  the  matter  with  him,  for  he  tried  hard 
but  couldn't  learn. 

I  smiled  and  replied:  "I'll  tell  you  what  is  the 
matter  with  you ;  you  are  all  right,  but  you  have  grown 
so  fast  the  past  year  that  all  your  vitality  has  gone  to 
build  up  your  body  and  nothing  has  been  left  you  for 
brain  power  to  do  school  work.  As  soon  as  you  quit 
growing  so  rapidly,  you  will  be  able  to  do  as  fine  school 
work  as  you  ever  did.  There  is  nothing  wrong  with  you 
at  all  but  your  rapid  growth.  You  will  be  in  better 
shape  next  September." 

He  returned  to  school  in  September,  and  in  time  was 
back  to  his  former  high  standing  in  his  work.  He  grad- 
uated from  the  high  school,  and  later  on  from  one  of  our 
great  universities. 

********* 

Rufus  Darby  passed  into  the  high  school  at  twelve 
years  of  age.  He  was  a  very  fragile  child  of  brilliant 
intellect.  When  the  changes  of  pubescence  came  to  him, 
he  grew  tall  very  rapidly ;  tall,  slim,  and  so  stooped  over, 
and  pale,  that  he  looked  unfit  to  be  in  school  or  to  do 
work  of  any  kind ;  but  the  taller  he  grew,  and  the  more 
stooped  over  and  pale-faced  he  became,  the  more  active 
was  his  intellect  and  the  more  brilliant  his  work. 


CHANGES  IN  INTELLECTUAL  POWER  215 

I  sometimes  wondered  if  the  hidden  fire  of  some  dis- 
ease had  anything  to  do  with  his  unusual  mental  power 
at  this  time  of  his  life ;  I  followed  him  for  a  number  of 
years,  through  the  university  to  graduation,  and  on  into 
business  life,  and  saw  him  develop  into  a  young  man  of 
good  physique  and  fine  intellect. 

In  an  earlier  chapter  where  I  spoke  of  growth  in 
height  and  its  usual  effect,  I  said  nothing  of  this  very 
common  temporary  lack  of  intellectual  power  that  man- 
ifests itself  at  this  period  of  life  in  many.  The  first  two 
of  the  boys  presented  here  bring  this  common  occurrence 
into  full  view. 

In  the  first  two  cases,  for  a  time  during  the  period 
of  rapid  growth,  intellectual  power  was  low;  in  the 
third  case,  the  period  of  rapid  growth  seemed  to  stim- 
ulate intellectual  power. 

********* 

Winston  Durrell  finished  the  eighth  grade  at  twelve 
years  of  age,  a  mere  child  in  everything  but  his  ability 
to  do  school  work.  Physically  not  at  all  developed  be- 
yond his  age,  and  while  he  was  somewhat  under-sized 
for  a  boy  of  twelve  years,  he  was  in  fine  physical  health. 

After  he  had  completed  his  eighth  grade  work,  I  had 
a  talk  with  his  father  as  to  the  advisability  of  the  boy's 
taking  up  high  school  work  at  his  age.  The  father,  a 
man  of  intelligence,  said  that  he  himself  had  developed 
very  young,  and  that  he  thought  it  best  to  keep  Winston 
moving  on  in  his  school  work  while  he  was  in  the  mind 
to  do  school  work,  that  the  time  might  come  when  he 
would  not  be  so  willing  to  hold  himself  to  school  duties. 
He  said  further  that  the  boy  was  in  excellent  physical 
condition  and  that  his  eighth  grade  school  work  had  not 
taxed  him  at  all,  that  he  had  given  no  time  outside  of 


216  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

school  to  his  work;  that  if  Winston  suffered  any  injury 
from  doing  high  school  work  at  his  age,  the  school  would 
not  be  considered  responsible,  that  all  responsibility 
would  rest  on  the  father. 

Winston  completed  his  high  school  course  in  four 
years,  afterwards  completed  a  university  course,  and 
later  on  a  course  in  a  professional  college.  He  is  today 
a  young  professional  man  of  high  standing. 

The  father  chose  wisely  for  his  boy. 
********* 

The  youngest  pupil  I  ever  promoted  to  the  high 
school  was  but  ten  years  of  age.  He  entered  school  at 
six  years  of  age,  completed  the  work  of  the  eight  grades 
in  four  years,  standing  at  the  head  of  his  class.  He 
could  easily  have  shortened  the  four  years  to  three,  but 
was  held  four  years.  He  never  studied  at  home.  Once 
going  over  a  lesson  made  him  master  of  it. 

When  he  began  his  high  school  work,  I  wondered  if 
he  would  be  able  to  do  it ;  but  there  was  no  need  of  fear 
on  this  line.  He  continued  with  us  to  the  close  of  his 
junior  year,  making  a  fine  record  all  the  way.  While 
he  did  not  shorten  the  years  of  his  high  school  course  as 
he  had  done  in  the  elementary  grades,  he  was  known 
everywhere  as  one  who  never  failed  to  measure  up  well 
in  his  work. 

This  boy  was  the  only  one  in  a  family  of  four  child- 
ren that  showed  superior  mental  power.  An  older  sister 
of  his  could  scarcely  learn  at  all,  while  the  other  children 
were  only  ordinary. 

The  school  tried  to  give  him  the  opportunity  to  move 
at  what  seemed  to  be  his  natural  rate  of  speed.  In  this 
case  as  in  others,  the  school  gave  an  open  road.  Both 
of  the  boys  just  described  moved  on  at  their  natural 
rates  of  speed. 


CHANGES  IN  INTELLECTUAL  POWER  217 

I  should  say  before  leaving  this  last  case,  that  Jesse 
was  not  in  the  least  in  his  physical  development  beyond 
those  of  his  own  age  when  at  ten  years  of  age  he  en- 
tered the  high  school.  In  all  his  play  and  in  every- 
thing but  his  great  power  to  acquire  knowledge  and  to 
do  good,  clear  thinking,  he  was  a  boy  of  ten  years. 

*##****## 

Wesley  Baldwin  entered  the  first  primary  at  six 
years  of  age  and  graduated  from  the  eighth  grade  at 
sixteen,  a  well-developed  youth  physically  for  a  boy  of 
sixteen,  but  of  very  slow  power  for  doing  school  work. 
He  was  always  regularly  in  school,  but  so  slow  at  learn- 
ing that  his  elementary  school  life  was  lengthened  two 
years. 

The  same  rate  of  movement  marked  him  in  his  high 
school  work  so  that  he  was  six  years  instead  of  four 
completing  his  high  school  course.  He  was  never  absent 
from  school,  faithful  in  applying  himself  to  his  work, 
but  slow  at  learning. 

One  of  the  high  school  teachers,  in  speaking  of  Wes- 
ley one  day  said  she  thought  it  a  waste  of  time  for  him 
to  take  so  many  years  to  graduate  from  the  high  school, 
that  he  should  be  out  of  school  at  work.  He  was  always 
one  of  the  finest  of  the  boys  in  school.  He  was  in  his 
twenty-second  year  when  he  graduated  from  the  high 
school.  After  spending  two  years  in  college,  he  went 
into  business,  and  from  the  very  start  has  made  a  won- 
derful success  of  his  business.  He  has  proved  one  of  the 
most  successful  graduates  of  that  school.  The  very 
knowledge  that  he  gathered  so  slowly  has  been  the 
foundation  of  his  success.  He  has  made  use  of  it  all  in 
a  very  practical  way. 


218  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

Keep  open  the  way  for  the  scholar  who  is  quick  at 
learning  that  he  may  move  at  his  own  rate  of  progress ; 
at  the  same  time  remember  the  slow  scholar. 

I  once  visited  a  greenhouse  where  the  glass  was  low 
down  over  the  beds.  Many  plants  of  the  same  kind  were 
growing  in  these  beds ;  the  seeds  of  all  had  been  planted 
at  the  same  time;  but  some  had  outgrown  others  and 
were  pressing  against  the  glass  and  being  ruined  for 
want  of  growing  space.  These  should  have  been  trans- 
planted to  other  beds  where  the  glass  was  high  above 
that  they  might  have  had  room  to  reach  upward.  Just  so 
with  boys  and  girls  in  school,  not  only  must  they  each 
be  carefully  tended,  but  at  the  proper  time  for  each  in- 
dividual scholar,  he  must  be  transplanted  that  his  de- 
velopment may  not  be  retarded  and  that  he  may  not 
lose  interest  in  the  work  of  the  grades  above  him.  The 
plant  that  presses  too  long  against  the  pane  is  distorted 
and  loses  its  value.  Is  not  the  same  true  of  the  boys  and 
girls  in  school? 

Give  the  slow  scholar  time  without  upbraiding  him ; 
keep  close  to  him  that  he  may  not  lose  faith  in  himself. 
Do  not  lose  him  because  he  is  not  developing  just  as  you 
think  he  should;  give  him  time,  hold  on  to  him.  A 
teacher  once  said  to  me  in  speaking  of  pupils  in  the 
eighth  grade,  "We  get  rid  of  all  those  of  mediocre 
ability  by  working  them  out  and  thus  save  a  class  of 
fine  intellects  for  the  high  school. ' '  When  boys  and  girls 
are  just  entering  the  adolescent  period  of  life,  it  would 
take  an  all- wise  teacher  to  tell  who  are  and  who  are  not 
pupils  of  mediocre  ability,  so  we  should  not  attempt  this 
impossible  classification  of  what  the  future  alone  can  re- 
veal, but  should  hold  on  to  all  of  them. 


CHAPTER  XIX 
RURAL  SCHOOL  CONTRASTS 

In  one  town  where  I  was  superintendent  for  several 
years,  we  received  into  our  high  school  more  scholars 
from  one  rural  school  than  from  a  large  number  of  other 
rural  schools  that  were  just  as  near  us.  The  contrast  in 
the  number  sent  from  this  one  school  with  the  number 
from  the  other  schools  was  so  great  that  I  was  interested 
in  knowing  who  in  this  district  furnished  the  inspira- 
tion that  led  so  many  to  seek  a  high  school  education. 
Other  districts  were  just  as  wealthy  and  had  in  some 
cases  larger  schools,  but  their  boys  and  girls  were  not  in- 
terested in  high  school. 

I  soon  learned  that  into  the  district  that  furnished  so 
large  a  number  of  well-equipped  scholars  for  the  high 
school,  there  had  come  to  live  a  few  years  before,  a  man 
and  his  wife  with  the  hope  that  the  free,  open  air  of  the 
country  would  restore  the  man  to  health.  The  woman 
had  been  an  able  teacher  before  her  marriage,  and  in 
order  to  help  with  the  finances  of  the  home,  now  be- 
came teacher  of  the  rural  school  near  their  home. 

She  was  the  inspirer  of  that  entire  neighborhood. 
Her  school  touched  every  home  with  a  desire  for  some- 
thing better  than  the  past  had  given  the  boys  and  girls. 
From  her  school  radiated  an  influence  that  made  that 
rural  school  the  most  marked  one  in  the  whole  country. 

All  the  boys  and  girls  of  that  district  were  in  school. 
The  school  was  a  magnet  that  drew  them  in  and  held 
them  when  they  were  once  in. 

I  came  to  know  this  teacher  and  then  I  saw  the 
source  of  her  power.  She  knew  every  individual  in  her 

219 


220  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

school ;  she  knew  the  homes  from  which  they  came.  She 
studied  to  know  the  possibilities  of  each  one  and  by  her 
enthusiasm  and  tactful  handling  of  the  boys  and  girls 
from  twelve  years  to  twenty,  she  had  everyone  inspired 
to  do  his  best.  She  was  uncommonly  wise  in  her  leader- 
ship of  these  older  scholars,  and  as  a  result,  their  in- 
dustry, interest,  and  spirit  shaped  the  spirit  and  move 
ment  of  the  entire  school. 

She  was  not  an  unusual  woman  in  her  native  endow- 
ment, but  somewrhere  she  had  learned  that  while  youth- 
ful life  and  energy  cannot  well  be  shut  off,  it  can  be 
directed  into  right  channels  and  so  controlled;  and  that 
to  do  this  successfully,  she  must  know  the  individuals. 

I  well  remember  one  day,  when  she  was  inquiring  of 
me  about  the  high  school  work  of  some  of  her  former 
pupils,  I  said  that  while  a  certain  scholar  was  not  fail- 
ing, his  work  did  not  compare  at  all  favorably  with  the 
work  of  another  mentioned.  ''Why,"  she  said,  with 
apparent  surprise  that  I  should  expect  it  to  compare 
with  the  work  of  the  other,  "You  ought  to  know  his 
home.  It  is  fine  for  one  coming  from  where  he  does." 

She  knew  him  as  we  had  not  known  him  up  to  that 
time,  and  she  knew  how  rightly  to  appreciate  his  efforts. 

The  debating  or  literary  society  carried  on  in  her 
school  was  one  of  the  best  social  centers  I  have  ever 
known.  So  great  was  the  interest  that  farmers  with 
their  families  came  for  miles  around  to  enjoy  the  social 
hour  and  the  program  of  this  rural  literary  society. 

I  often  contrast  this  school  in  my  mind  with  another 
that  I  knew  quite  intimately.  In  this  latter  school,  the 
teacher  was  a  young  man,  in  scholarship  finely-equipped, 
but  in  good  sense  and  thoughtful  interest,  sadly  lacking. 
His  evenings  were  given  to  the  parties  that  that  year 
in  that  school  district  ran  almost  continuously  from 


RURAL  SCHOOL  CONTRASTS  221 

week-end  to  week-end.  He  soon  lost  interest  in  his 
school  work,  was  listless  and  almost  sleepy  during  his 
school  hours.  In  fact,  all  his  physical  and  intellectual 
energy  that  should  have  been  given  to  his  school,  were 
sapped  by  his  unrestrained  social  dissipation,  so  that 
long  before  the  close  of  the  term,  his  usefulness  was  at 
an  end.  However,  as  no  one  of  the  district  would  take 
action  against  him,  he  was  permitted  to  hold  his  position 
and  draw  his  pay  to  the  end.  The  year  was  worse  than 
lost  to  the  scholars  of  the  district.  A  great  wrong  had 
been  done  them. 

Not  far  from  this  school,  was  another,  presided  over 
by  a  bright,  happy-hearted,  purposeful  girl.  She  too 
had  an  interest  in  the  social  life  of  her  district,  but  how 
different  an  interest!  From  time  to  time  she  arranged 
for  an  evening  social  at  the  school  house.  On  these 
occasions,  the  scholars  were  in  part,  entertainers,  and 
much  of  the  school  work  was  placed  before  the  visitors. 
The  youth  of  the  district  were  gathered  into  her  school, 
and  all  the  nobility  within  them  was  aroused. 

When  her  school  term  came  to  a  close  and  she  went 
to  another  state  to  make  her  home,  she  went  with  the 
community's  blessing. 

The  great  fact  of  her  work  was  that  she  established 
the  right  leadership  with  the  youth  of  her  school,  and 
through  them  inspired  not  only  the  entire  school,  but 
the  whole  community. 

I  have  given  these  rural  contrasts  for  they  taught 
me  the  possibilities  of  a  teacher's  work  even  in  the  one- 
room  rural  school. 


CHAPTER  XX 

SOME    OUTSIDE    CONDITIONS    THAT    AFFECT 
SCHOOL    WORK 

The  school  work  of  adolescents  is  often  greatly  in- 
terfered with  by  outside  conditions,  many  of  them  be- 
yond the  reach  of  school  authorities  or  direct  school  in- 
fluence. This  is  truer  in  the  larger  towns  and  the 
smaller  cities  than  in  the  small  towns.  I  judge  it  is 
just  as  true  in  the  larger  cities,  though  I  can  speak  from 
experience  only  in  the  cases  of  the  smaller  cities  and 
larger  towns.  With  the  opening  of  school  in  the  fall  of 
the  year,  begins  the  round  of  social  events  in  the  homes 
and  at  the  clubs  that  mark  the  school  year.  Not  the 
social  affairs  of  the  school,  but  the  social  events  of  the 
homes  and  the  clubs.  Mrs.  Smith  gives  a  reception 
Thursday  afternoon  and  evening.  Lucy  Smith  is  absent 
Thursday  afternoon  and  comes  to  school  Friday  morn- 
ing with  a  note  from  her  mother  asking  that  Lucy's  ab- 
sence be  excused  as  she  was  necessarily  detained  at 
home  by  her  mother.  Now,  whether  this  be  accepted  as 
a  legitimate  excuse  or  not,  the  fact  remains  that  Lucy's 
work  has  been  interrupted ;  often  mothers  will  claim  ill- 
ness. (?)  And  there  are  many  evening  social  affairs  in 
the  homes,  sometimes  parties  for  young  people  including 
those  who  are  beyond  high  school  years  as  well  as  those 
who  are  still  in  school,  social  affairs,  over  which  the 
school  has  no  control,  that  affect  the  work  of  many  high 
school  scholars.  All  of  these  take  the  time  and  energy 
that  should  be  given  to  the  preparation  of  lessons,  and 
so  lower  the  school-standing  of  those  who  take  part  in 
them;  and,  to  some  extent,  unfavorably  affect  the  class 
work  of  the  whole  school.  Not  that  the  scholars  who 

222 


EFFECT  OF  OUTSIDE  CONDITIONS  223 

attend  these  social  functions  are  always  failures,  for 
often  they  do  good  school  work,  in  other  cases  they 
strive  only  for  a  passing  mark;  but  it  not  infrequently 
happens  that  they  are  among  the  most  capable  in  school, 
and  could,  under  different  home  conditions,  rank  high  in 
scholarship.  The  trouble  too  often  is,  the  social  pleas- 
ures lower  their  aim  in  school  work  so  that  instead  of 
their  asking  themselves,  "What  is  the  greatest  possible 
good  I  can  get  out  of  this  study  or  that,"  they,  not  in 
words,  but  in  actions,  ask:  "What  must  I  do  to  get  a 
passing  mark?"  With  any  large  number  of  this  class 
of  scholars  in  a  high  school,  it  requires  great  inspiration 
on  the  part  of  the  teachers  to  inspire  and  maintain  in 
the  school,  as  a  school,  a  high  ideal  of  scholarship. 

Sometimes  teachers,  seeing  the  great  loss  that  comes 
to  scholars  from  this  life  of  the  home,  say  that  if  they 
were  the  board  of  education,  they  would  not  permit 
this  interference  with  school  work  by  the  home;  that  it 
is  all  wrong,  and  that  either  this  class  of  students  ought 
to  be  excluded  from  school,  or  else  the  parents  ought  to 
be  compelled  to  change  the  home  conditions.  The 
teachers  are  sure  that  present  conditions  of  social  life 
outside  of  school  are  all  wrong  and  should  be  righted; 
they  are  disgusted  with  parents  for  not  having  better 
judgment;  and  so,  fretting  over  the  shortages  of  our 
present  social  system,  if  they  are  not  careful,  they  enter 
the  ranks  of  the  hopeless  faultfinders,  and  thus  unfit 
themselves  for  the  position  of  teachers.  The  pessimistic 
teacher  has  no  place  in  teaching  adolescents.  Conditions 
are  not  ideal;  this  is  not  Utopia,  but  a  highly  complex 
civilization,  where  conflicting  interests  cannot  always 
be  straightened  out  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  every- 
one. The  teacher's  part  is  to  meet  things  as  they  are, 
in  a  bright,  hopeful  spirit,  recognizing  the  limitations 


224  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

of  the  work  that  is  his,  but  leaving  nothing  undone  that 
will  add  to  the  efficiency  of  his  work  in  the  field  that  is 
his.  It  is  a  great  piece  of  wisdom  to  know  the  bounds  of 
his  rightful  territory  and  within  these  bounds  to  see  to 
it  that  the  field  is  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  I 
am  not  so  sure  that  those  who  fret  because  the  present 
state  of  society  is  what  it  is,  if  they  had  their  way,  could 
improve  on  present  conditions.  The  very  work  that 
teachers  do,  too  often  forbids  their  taking  anything 
more  than  a  one-sided  view  of  the  education  of  these 
young  people.  They  see  only  the  school  side,  often  the 
poorest.  They  too  often  fail  to  appreciate  fully  the 
polished  manners,  the  grace  and  ease  that  come  to  many 
of  these  young  people  as  a  result  of  their  social 
mingling. 

Many,  very  many,  teachers,  in  both  the  high  schools 
and  the  grammar  grades,  would  be  at  a  much  higher 
market  value  had  they,  at  the  turn  of  life  (during  adol- 
escence), had  the  opportunity  of  mingling  freely  in 
polite,  social  life.  These  polished  manners  are  an  asset, 
an  asset  that  parents  desire  for  their  girls  and  boys, 
and  for  which  they  are  often  willing  to  sacrifice  high 
percents  in  school  markings.  There  is  an  education 
here  that  teachers  cannot  afford  to  ignore,  even  if  par- 
ents do  sometimes  put  it  above  its  just  value. 

Then  again,  many  outside  social  affairs  are  not  of 
the  type  already  described,  but  are  almost  wholly  de- 
moralizing. Take  the  high  school  boy  who  at  school  is 
a  gentleman,  but  is  poor  in  his  work,  carrying,  above 
the  passing  mark  only  a  part  of  his  studies ;  yet  he  is  a 
boy  of  good  ability,  well  able  to  do  above  the  average. 
His  life  at  home  and  away  from  school  is  wild  and 
"swelly,"  he  is  of  the  "fast  set."  So  long  as  he  is 
doing  work  that  would  pass  in  a  boy  of  good  home 


EFFECT  OF  OUTSIDE  CONDITIONS  225 

habits,  and  his  conduct  is  passable  at  school,  and  his 
influence  cannot  be  shown  to  be  injurious  to  the  school, 
he  has  a  right  to  be  in  the  school,  and  the  school  is  in  no 
way  directly  responsible  for  his  home  conduct.  It  once 
in  a  while  happens,  when  a  boy  reaches  this  stage,  and 
the  home  is  troubled  and  knows  not  what  to  do  with 
him,  that  the  home  says,  ' '  See  what  my  son  or  daughter 
has  become  since  entering  the  high  school,"  when  the 
fact  is  that  the  high  school  has  been  the  only  restraining 
force  for  good  that  has  touched  the  life  of  the  boy  since 
entering  upon  the  period  of  adolescence.  His  home  fur- 
nishes no  stay  and  the  boy  is  permitted  by  the  home  to 
be  swayed  by  associations  that  sometimes  entrap  the 
more  carefully  guarded. 

The  safe  plan  on  the  part  of  the  teachers  is  to  rec- 
ognize that  the  school  has  both  privileges  and  duties  in 
its  relation  to  the  scholars  of  this  age  as  well  as  the 
younger  ones ;  to  consider  that  while  the  teacher  may  not 
order  the  home  in  all  its  appointments,  that  by  coming 
into  as  close  touch  as  possible  with  the  heads  of  the  home, 
he  may  advise  with  the  parents  and  win  their  assistance 
in  reducing  to  the  minimum  the  outside  social  demands 
that  break  into  the  school  work;  that  the  school,  in  its 
relation  to  the  home,  in  all  the  things  of  the  home  that 
detract  from  the  school  work  whether  they  be  with  the 
consent  of  the  home  or  not,  holds  only  an  advisory  re- 
lation and  that  it  does  not  presume  to  do  more.  This 
position  always  appeals  to  parents  as  fair  and  just. 

Not  only  the  parties  and  social  affairs  of  like  kind, 
but  evening  entertainments,  theaters,  moving  pictures, 
and  church  services  all  take  from  the  study  time  and 
the  nerve  force  that  must  be  given  outside  of  school 
hours  if  the  scholar's  standing  in  the  high  school  is  to 
be  above  the  ordinary.  I  know  of  nothing  that  more  com 


226  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

pletely  absorbs  the  attention  of  the  scholars  of  a  high 
school  age  than  a  warmly-contested  political  campaign, 
with  its  evening  speeches  and  the  pyrotechnics  that  go 
to  arouse  and  hold  the  attention  of  the  people  and  to  call 
them  together  that  the  orators  of  the  opposing  political 
parties  may  have  an  opportunity  to  present  the  issues 
of  the  day.  These  are  stirring  occasions,  and  few  are 
the  boys  and  girls  of  high  school  age  who  have  will- 
power enough  to  compel  themselves  to  sit  at  home  to 
prepare  lessons  while  these  attractions  that  stir  the 
blood  are  calling  them  to  come. 

After  a  campaign  evening,  nerve  force  for  school 
work  the  following  morning  is  low,  and  restlessness,  in- 
attention, and  grinning,  seem  to  be  at  the  flood.  To  the 
teacher,  the  day  is  often  a  trying  one ;  but  there  is  only 
one  thing  for  the  teacher  to  do,  keep  himself  well  under 
control.  The  teacher's  self  needs  more  attention  on  such 
a  day  than  the  scholars.  Hold  steadily  to  the  work  and 
keep  in  mind  that  another  day  will  bring  changed  con- 
ditions. 

But  has  nothing  of  value  come  to  offset  this  loss  in 
school  work?  Many  have  counted  it  one  of  the  privi- 
leges of  their  lives  that  in  their  youth  they  heard  Lincoln 
speak  on  some  of  the  burning  questions  of  his  day.  Was 
there  ever  a  day  in  school  that  gave  them  the  equivalent 
of  one  hour  in  the  presence  of  that  one  of  the  world's 
greatest  men?  In  the  political  campaigns  of  today, 
many  of  our  ablest  public  men  come  to  be  known  almost 
from  one  end  of  our  country  to  the  other  through  their 
campaign  speeches,  and  the  inspiration  and  education, 
not  only  concerning  the  issues  of  the  day,  but  also  in 
patriotism,  that  come  to  our  youth  in  this  way,  are  im- 
measurably great  and  good.  History  learned  from  the 
lips  of  our  greatest  living  statesman  is  the  key  that  un- 


EFFECT  OF  OUTSIDE  CONDITIONS  227 

locks  interest  in  much  of  the  history  contained  in  books. 
Political  campaigns  are  not  without  value  in  the  educa- 
tion of  the  youth.  They  do  demoralize  the  classroom 
work  to  a  greater  or  less  degree,  but  they  also  do  a  work 
that  school  teachers  cannot  do. 

Religious  instruction  is  left  to  the  home  and  to  the 
church.  Our  public  schools  are  made  up  of  children 
from  homes  representing  all  creeds.  It  is  not  within 
the  right  of  the  public  school  teacher  to  teach  in  any 
way  any  particular  creed.  Religious  instruction  belongs 
to  the  home  and  the  church. 

When  some  of  the  churches  in  the  city  were  giving 
special  religious  instructions  to  classes  of  their  boys  and 
girls  preparing  them  for  confirmation,  I  was  always 
pleased  to  grant  their  instructors  the  privilege  of  send- 
ing these  boys  and  girls  a  half-hour  or  hour  late  to 
school.  This  privilege  was  not  always  asked,  but  when 
it  was,  it  was  granted.  To  many,  very  many,  parents, 
it  is  the  most  important  of  all  instruction. 

With  some  churches,  it  is  customary  to  hold  series  of 
special  religious  services.  In  some  churches,  these  spe- 
cial services  take  the  form  of  revival  meetings.  Some- 
times the  Protestant  churches  hold  a  series  of  union 
revival  services,  employing  an  evangelist  to  conduct  the 
services.  It  frequently  happens  that  all  Protestant 
Christian  people  of  a  community,  for  several  weeks  at 
a  time,  center  their  interests  in  one  united  effort  of 
this  kind.  The  community  is  deeply  moved  religiously. 
High  school  scholars  are  just  at  the  age  when  religious 
teachings  are  most  likely  to  impress  them.  As  has  al- 
ready been  stated,  at  no  other  time  in  life  is  there  so 
great  an  opportunity  for  pressing  home  religious  truths. 
It  is  the  time  when  the  mind  first  seeks  to  know  the 
deeper  meaning  of  life,  the  time  when,  if  the  right 


228  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

trend  be  given  to  the  religious  thinking,  little  need  be 
the  fears  for  the  future  religious  life;  but  the  boy  or 
girl  set  adrift  in  his  religious  thinking  at  this  period, 
may  ever  after  be  hopelessly  castabout.  Parents  know 
that  this  is  the  opportune  time  for  a  determined  re- 
ligious stand  on  the  part  of  girls  and  boys.  They 
may,  or  may  not,  know  how  deep-seated  physiologically 
and  psychologically,  the  reason  is  for  the  youth's  de- 
ciding now  the  question  of  his  religious  life;  but  the 
parents  do  know  from  observation  and  experience,  that 
deep  religious  convictions  at  this  period  are  apt  to 
give  trend  to  the  whole  after  religious  life,  and  hence, 
are  very  solicitous  that  their  boys  and  girls  be  regu- 
lar attendants  on  these  services,  and  actively  engaged 
in  the  religious  work  of  the  meetings.  As  a  result,  the 
nerve  strain  on  scholars  of  the  high  school  and  of  the 
grammar  grades  is  often  very  great,  and  the  school 
work  cannot  fail  to  be,  to  some  extent,  affected.  High 
schools  feel  the  effect  more  than  grammar  schools.  Be- 
cause of  shorter  hours  of  high  school  sessions  and  the 
character  of  the  work,  high  school  scholars  must  or- 
dinarily do  more  studying  at  home  and  of  evenings 
than  grammar  grade  scholars,  so  when  their  evenings 
are  given  to  attending  religious  services,  the  lessons 
suffer ;  nor  is  this  all — the  lowered  nervous  vitality  pre- 
vents the  accomplishment  of  what  is  the  usual  work 
during  the  regular  study  hours  in  school.  It  is  true 
also  that  the  depleted  nerves  of  some  of  those  most 
actively  engaged  in  the  evening  services  make  them  so 
restless  and  inattentive  that  they  constitute  a  real  an- 
noyance in  school.  This  sometimes  happens  with  those 
who  have  been  the  most  reliable  and  trustworthy  high 
school  scholars.  What  can  the  teachers  do  under  these 
conditions  ?  Must  they  permit  the  work  of  the  school  to 


EFFECT  OF  OUTSIDE  CONDITIONS  229 

be  broken  into  by  these  religious  meetings?  Have  the 
schools  no  right  to  be  considered?  There  is  one  thing 
teachers  can  do  and  should  do,  they  should  hold  them- 
selves from  fretting,  and  plan  to  meet  the  conditions 
that  they  cannot  change.  Help  the  scholars  to  so  re- 
arrange their  study  hours  that  the  hours  immediately 
following  the  close  of  school  in  the  afternoon  and  before 
school  in  the  morning  may  be  devoted  to  the  lesson  that 
heretofore  has  been  prepared  in  the  evening.  Much  can 
be  done  in  this  way,  and  by  following  it  up  from  day  to 
day  to  see  that  the  new  arrangement  is  carried  out  by 
the  scholars,  a  great  deal  can  be  done.  But,  even  this 
planning  with  the  scholars  must  be  done  in  no  fault- 
finding spirit  or  manner,  or  the  teacher  will  defeat  the 
very  object  he  is  trying  to  attain.  A  consultation  with 
the  parents,  in  some  cases,  wins  their  assistance  in  se- 
curing attention  to  the  new  study  hours.  But  this  and 
all  other  arrangements  for  study  hours  that  can  be 
made,  do  not  make  up  for  the  deficient  nerve-force  left 
for  school  work.  This  can  be  met  only  in  one  way  and 
that  is,  by  not  attempting  to  do  more  than  can  be  well 
done.  Careful  testing  soon  reveals  to  the  teacher  about 
what  amount  of  work  can  be  done,  and  well  done.  This 
should  be  the  measure  for  the  time  being,  even  if  it  does 
fall  somewhat  short  of  the  usual  requirements.  It  is  far 
better  to  move  a  little  more  slowly  for  a  time  and  keep 
up  the  quality  of  the  work  than  to  keep  up  the  quantity 
at  the  expense  of  quality. 

But  I  wish  I  could  tell  you  how  much,  in  the  times  of 
greatest  outside  distractions,  depends  on  the  teacher. 
The  highly  efficient  teacher,  the  inspirer  of  girls  and 
boys,  at  these  times,  arouses  a  determination  in  his 
scholars  not  to  let  their  school  work  fall  short  because 
of  their  interest  in  the  religious  services,  but  to  more 


230  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

carefully  systematize  their  time,  and  to  give  themselves 
more  completely  to  the  two  things  for  the  time  and  to 
the  two  things  only.  This  teacher  makes  no  complaint 
of  shiftlessness  in  the  preparation  of  the  work;  loses  no 
nervous  energy  in  grumbling  about  the  unfortunate  con- 
ditions that  hamper  his  work ;  but,  with  steady  nerves,  a 
happy  face,  and  a  vigorous  spirit  says,  "The  conditions 
will  require  extra  effort  on  the  part  of  all,  and  I  know 
we  will  make  the  effort. "  The  scholars  leave  his  room 
with  the  set  purpose  of  doing  as  he  has  planned.  They 
must  do  it,  he  expects  it;  and  they  in  a  large  measure, 
do  do  it.  True  it  is,  he  measures  the  assignments  so  as 
not  to  ask  the  impossible,  but  an  assignment  that  meas- 
ures up  to  the  full  of  what  he  believes  they  can  do  under 
existing  conditions. 

In  this  teacher's  classes  there  is  no  visible  break  in 
the  work;  recitations  move  on  with  their  accustomed 
ready  response,  and  bright  interest.  Contrast  this  work 
with  that  in  the  case  of  the  poor  teacher,  the  one  who 
complains  that  outside  distractions  have  ruined  his 
work;  step  into  this  complaining  teacher's  recitation 
room  and  the  very  deadness  of  it  reflects,  not  so  much 
the  influence  of  outside  conditions,  as  the  lack  of  power 
in  the  teacher. 

However,  the  fact  still  remains  that  these  outside 
conditions  do  affect,  unfavorably,  the  classroom  work  of 
the  scholars.  The  first  of  these  two  teachers  spends  an 
unusual  amount  of  nerve-force  to  hold  his  classes  to 
good  preparation  of  their  work.  The  second  teacher 
spends  possibly  an  equal  or  greater  amount  of  nerve- 
force  fretting  over  outside  conditions  that  he  cannot 
change.  One  is  wise,  the  other,  foolish.  Just  in  pro- 
portion as  the  teachers  of  a  high  school  or  grammar 
school  belong  to  one  or  the  other  of  these  two  classes,  is 


EFFECT  OF  OUTSIDE  CONDITIONS  231 

the  character  of  the  school  work  affected,  to  a  greater 
or  less  degree,  by  outside  conditions. 

The  great  arousing  of  the  religious  sentiment  of  a 
community  so  that  for  weeks  the  whole  thought  is  cen- 
tered on  the  higher  things  of  life,  on  better  living,  on 
man's  trying  to  measure  up  more  fully  to  his  right  re- 
lation to  his  fellowman  and  to  his  God,  is  a  wonderful 
force  in  the  character-forming  of  the  adolescent  mind. 
Is  it  a  loss  of  time,  in  the  broad  education  of  the  youth, 
that  his  school  work  moves  at  a  somewhat  slower  pace 
while  this  part  of  his  education  is  being  emphasized? 


CHAPTER  XXI 
SOME  COMMENTS 

In  the  preceding  chapters,  I  have  stated  the  best- 
known  facts  of  the  physical  and  mental  changes  of  adol- 
escence, and  have  indicated  the  peculiar  characteristics 
of  the  young  people  with  whom  we  have  to  deal  in  the 
high  school,  and  to  a  large  extent  in  the  grammar  grades. 
Whenever  we  expect  these  young  people  to  be  other  than 
they  are,  we  are  doomed  to  disappointment;  but  when 
we  studj7  to  know  them  as  they  do  not  know  themselves, 
physically,  mentally,  morally,  and  to  some  extent  in 
their  inheritance  and  in  their  environment,  we  put  our- 
selves in  a  position  to  wield  a  great  influence  over  them. 
It  is  our  knowledge  of  them  individually  and  also  in  the 
gang  or  mob  form,  that  makes  possible  a  sympathetic 
attitude  in  us  who  are  teachers  toward  them  that  de- 
termines in  them  the  right  attitude  toward  the  school 
and  all  its  interests.  When  these  adjustments  are  as 
they  should  be,  the  school  is  in  a  position  to  work  out 
its  problems  along  right  lines  and  in  the  right  spirit 
even  though  the  work  be  but  imperfectly  done. 

President  Hadley  said  in  his  baccalaureate  address  a 
few  years  ago:  "No  matter  how  high  the  ideals  for 
which  we  stand,  we  cannot  expect  others  to  follow  us 
unless  we  have  confidence  in  them  that  they  will  follow 
us.  We  cannot  expect  devotion  if  we  return  it  with 
mistrust."  Nowhere  is  this  more  true  than  in  school 
work  with  adolescent  boys  and  girls;  yet  it  must  be  an 
intelligent  confidence  that  we  give  them,  a  confidence 
based  on  as  full  a  knowledge  as  possible  of  their  condi- 
tion of  life;  a  confidence  that  is  not  full  of  impossible 
expectations. 

232 


SOME  COMMENTS  233 

The  one  thing  that  must  never  fail  those  of  us  who 
work  with  these  young  people,  is  that  self-control  that 
holds  us  to  the  right  point  of  view.  The  young  people 
may  be  swayed  from  their  moorings  by  some  passing 
emotion  or  mental  whirlwind,  but  we,  those  of  us  in  con- 
trol, must  not  fail  to  see  clearly  the  difference  between 
the  deed  and  the  doer;  the  responsibility  of  the  in- 
dividual acting  alone,  and  the  responsibility  of  the  in- 
dividual acting  under  the  impulse  of  the  gang  or  crowd, 
or  what  in  other  terms  might  be  called  the  mob  influence. 
If  we  lose  this  point  of  view,  we  fail  to  distinguish  be- 
tween the  doer  and  the  deed;  if  we  lose  this  point  of 
view,  we  may  hold  for  individual  responsibility  where 
it  does  not  exist.  This  confusion  in  the  minds  of  those 
in  authority  always  does  violence  to  the  highest  form  of 
discipline. 

If  those  in  authority  have  the  right  self-control,  they 
can  condemn  the  deed,  and  yet  have  the  kindliest  feeling 
for  the  doer.  Wrongdoing  is  always  wrong,  but  wrong- 
doers are  not  always  bad.  That  which  is  done  under  the 
gang  or  mob  influence  may  be  very  wrong,  and  yet  the 
individual  scarcely  understands  how  he  became  a  party 
to  the  deed,  what  the  influence  that  led  him  on. 

If  the  spirit  of  authority  is  intelligently  just,  there 
will  be  no  condemnation  of  a  spirit  in  the  doer  that  is 
not  there,  or  in  other  words,  the  authority  will  not  im- 
pute wrong  motives  to  the  doers  of  the  evil  deeds,  but 
while  strongly  condemning  the  deed,  and  requiring  that 
every  wrong  be  made  right  by  those  who  did  the  wrong, 
will  be  in  the  kindliest  attitude  toward  the  doers  of  the 
wrong. 

When  this  is  the  case,  the  scholars  may  not,  at  first, 
appreciate  the  justice  of  their  paying  the  penalty  for 
the  wrong-doing,  but  when  the  penalty  comes  not  in  the 


234  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

spirit  of  retaliation  or  of  getting  even,  but  rather  as  the 
natural  result  of  violated  law,  the  natural  result  of  the 
wrong  done;  while  they  may  not  at  first  see  clearly,  nor 
feel  that  it  is  just,  yet  in  the  end  their  feelings  and  in- 
tellects as  well,  will  clear  up  and  the  lesson  that  wrong 
brings  its  own  reward,  and  that  too,  whether  the  wrong 
is  intentional  or  only  the  result  of  some  sudden  impulse, 
will  be  learned.  I  say  feelings  and  intellect  as  well, 
placing  feelings  first,  for  it  is  true  that  the  steady, 
kindly,  unruffled  feelings  of  those  in  authority  first 
touch  the  boys  and  girls,  and  beget  in  them  a  responsive 
feeling  that  soon  brings  about  the  right  mental  attitude ; 
and  then  the  justice  of  all  that  has  been  done  is  rec- 
ognized; and  the  great  need  of  self-control  more  deeply 
impressed  on  all. 

Sometimes  it  is  necessary  for  the  principal  or  super- 
intendent, or  both,  to  meet  the  whole  body  of  scholars 
and  hold  them  to  a  strong  support  of  what  is  best  for 
the  school  when  some  whirl  of  excitement  might  turn 
their  sympathy  to  the  side  of  the  offenders. 

Once  in  a  while  the  principal,  or  superintendent,  or 
both,  must  act  quickly  and  with  no  uncertainty  in  ward- 
ing off  what  might  cause  serious  trouble  to  the  school. 

Ordinarily  all  matters  of  discipline  and  all  school 
troubles  can  be  taken  care  of  privately,  and  the  school 
know  nothing  of  them ;  but  once  in  a  great  while  an  act 
is  committed  which  if  not  headed  off  might  stir  up  the 
whole  school  as  in  the  case  of  the  rules  and  regulations 
for  freshmen  and  sophomores;  and  when  an  act  of  this 
kind  has  been  committed,  if  the  school  can  be  quickly 
"lined  up"  strong  on  the  side  of  right,  against  the 
whole  affair,  the  offense  is  easily  adjusted,  and,  the 
offenders  failing  to  make  themselves  objects  of  interest, 
have  no  influence  whatever  on  the  school.  Then  their 


SOME  COMMENTS  235 

discipline  if  they  are  members  of  the  school  becomes  a 
very  simple  affair. 

#*#*#**** 

When  I  was  first  beginning  as  a  teacher,  I  thought 
the  day  would  come  when  I  knew  just  how  to  conduct 
a  school,  that  it  would  never  be  necessary  to  correct 
scholars  or  talk  with  them  about  their  duties  and  their 
conduct ;  that  when  once  everything  was  gotten  into  the 
right  condition,  the  schools,  the  scholars,  would  run 
themselves.  It  was  years  before  it  fully  dawned  on  me 
that  if  it  were  so,  the  best  teachers  would  soon  be  out  of 
jobs ;  that  the  work  of  training  the  young  is  a  continuous 
process;  that  as  the  finished  (?)  product  leaves  our 
factory  at  one  door,  the  raw  material  is  coming  in  at  the 
other.  Not  long  ago,  I  heard  a  lecturer  say  that  in  talk- 
ing with  a  manufacturer  of  shaving  soap,  he  had  asked 
the  soap-man  if  he  did  not  waste  a  great  deal  of  money 
advertising.  He  said  to  the  soap  man:  ''Everybody 
knows  of  your  soap,  and  it  seems  a  great  waste  to  keep 
on  advertising.'*  But  the  soap  man  replied:  "If  it 
is  true  that  everybody  knows  of  my  soap  today,  there  is 
a  new  crowd  coming  on  tomorrow,  and  tomorrow,  and 
tomorrow,  and  for  their  sakes  it  pays  all  the  time  to 
keep  on  advertising." 

When  the  right  spirit  reigns  in  a  school,  it  should 
continue  from  year  to  year;  but  that  right  spirit  year 
after  year  must  exert  its  formative  influence  on  this 
boy  and  that  boy,  this  girl  and  that  girl,  this  class  and 
that  class,  as  they  pass  up  through  the  grades  of  the 
school,  as  they  pass  through  the  various  physical  and 
mental  stages  of  their  development.  So  long  as  boys 
and  girls  grow  from  childhood  to  youth,  from  youth  to 
early  manhood  and  womanhood,  so  long  will  the  teach- 


236  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

ing  and  the  training  of  youth  furnish  the  problems  that 
grammar  grade  and  high  school  teachers  must  try  to 
solve. 

My  boyhood  home  was  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio 
River.  Year  after  year  I  watched  the  pilots  on  the  tow- 
boats  guide  the  great  fleets  of  coal  past  the  danger 
points  in  the  river.  Each  new  fleet  was  guided  just  as 
carefully  as  though  no  other  fleet  had  been  guided  past 
the  same  dangers.  So  each  oncoming  class  of  youth 
must  be  guided  just  as  carefully  as  though  no  others 
had  been  before  them. 

Whatever  the  conditions  the  future  may  bring  forth 
as  to  high  school  teachers,  for  the  present  and  for  the 
immediate  future,  conditions  will  change  but  little  as  to 
the  preparedness  or  fitness  of  high  school  teachers  for 
their  work.  Many  every  year  go  into  the  high  school 
as  teachers  fresh  from  colleges  and  universities,  young 
in  years,  and  with  little  training  pedagogically  for  their 
work.  Bright,  scholarly  young-  people,  yet  unbeknown 
(?)  to  themselves,  ignorant  of  the  work  they  are  to  do. 
Many  of  them  in  their  experience  socially  are  not  so  wise 
as  many  girls  and  boys  whom  they  are  to  teach.  In  fact, 
it  not  infrequently  happens  that  the  high  school  teacher 
has  had  no  social  life  before  he  takes  up  the  work  of  a 
teacher,  so  that  the  social  attention  shown  him  by  school 
scholars,  is  more  than  he  with  his  lack  of  experience,  is 
able  to  stand,  and  as  a  result,  his  indiscreetness  greatly 
interferes  with  his  doing  his  best  work,  and  hence  with 
the  best  interest  of  the  school.  This  is  not  only  true  of 
young  men,  but  of  young  women  also.  Sometimes  prom- 
ising young  teachers  lose  their  opportunities  in  a  school 
by  a  lack  of  judgment  that  a  little  experience  in  social 
life  would  have  given  them.  I  have  in  mind,  an  ex- 
cellent young  woman,  scholarly,  and  with  ability  to  in- 


SOME  COMMENTS  237 

struct,  who  by  keeping  company  with  some  of  the  boys 
of  the  high  school  in  the  social  life  of  the  community 
outside  of  the  school,  so  lost  her  influence  as  a  teacher 
in  the  school  that  she  was,  in  the  end,  in  that  school,  a 
failure.  She  was  a  good  woman  but  she  lacked  judg- 
ment as  to  the  fitness  of  things.  The  social  affairs  of 
those  of  high  school  age  appealed  to  her  strongly,  for  as 
a  girl  previous  to  her  teaching,  she  had  had  no  social 
life. 

In  taking  into  a  corps  of  high  school  teachers,  young 
men  and  young  women,  college  or  university  graduates, 
with  no  experience  in  the  work  of  teaching,  it  is  un- 
pardonable in  the  principal  or  superintendent  not  to 
talk  these  things  over  with  them  so  as  to  guard  them  or 
at  least  to  make  them  aware  of  some  of  the  dangers  that 
they  if  forewarned,  can  all  the  more  easily  guard 
against.  In  my  own  work  of  later  years,  I  made  it  a 
point  always  to  talk  very  frankly  with  inexperienced 
young  teachers  coming  into  our  school.  In  fact,  before 
engaging  them,  I  have  talked  of  these  things  and  have 
always  had  it  understood  that  if  they  came  to  work 
with  us  they  must  expect  the  high  school  principal  and 
the  superintendent  to  advise  or  talk  with  them  as  freely 
about  their  work  as  they  would  with  a  high  school 
scholar ;  that  it  would  be  their  work  to  train  them  in  the 
things  that  make  for  the  best  of  high  school  teachers; 
that  whatever  criticism  might  be  offered,  whatever  sug- 
gestion might  be  given,  all  would  be  done  in  the  kind- 
liest spirit  of  helpfulness,  for  their  interest  and  the 
school's  interests  would  be  one.  It  is  a  blessing  to  the 
young  candidate  and  to  the  principal  and  superintend- 
ent as  well,  to  have  a  clear  understanding  on  these 
things  before  any  engagement  is  entered  into,  as  it 
makes  possible  a  way  of  helpfulness  on  the  part  of  the 


238  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

supervising  officers,  and  brings  about  a  close  relation 
that  means  strength  to  the  young  teacher.  Supervising 
officers  owe  this  to  the  young  teacher. 

In  talking  over  what  would  be  expected  of  young 
men  teachers  among  many  things,  their  attention  was 
called  to  the  fact  that  they  would  come  to  know  many 
beautiful,  attractive  high  school  girls,  but  that  there 
must  be  no  keeping  company  with  them;  that  while  we 
did  not  wish  to  interfere  with  their  social  life,  we  knew 
the  effect  on  the  school  of  young  men  teachers'  paying 
special  attention  to  girls  of  the  high  school,  so  would 
ask  them  to  keep  free  from  any  entanglement  of  this 
kind;  that  their  usefulness  and  the  school's  best  in- 
terests could  be  best  served  by  their  remembering  this 
and  conducting  themselves  accordingly. 

Another  request  that  was  made  of  them,  one  that 
many  might  think  uncalled-for,  but  that  we  knew  from 
experience  meant  the  good  of  all,  was  this,  each  young 
man  teacher  was  asked  not  to  detain  any  one  of  the 
high  school  girls  alone  for  make-up  work  or  for  any  pur- 
pose after  the  close  of  school,  but  in  cases  where  some 
one  of  the  girls  had  work  to  do,  or  where  assistance  was 
to  be  given  her,  to  arrange  to  have  someone  else  remain 
in  the  room  until  the  girl  was  excused,  or  to  ask  her  to 
pass  with  him  to  another  recitation  room  where  there 
was  another  teacher,  or  to  the  library. 

In  making  this  request  of  a  young  man,  we  said  to 
him  that  it  was  not  because  we  mistrusted  him  for  if  we 
mistrusted  him  he  would  not  be  considered  for  a  teacher, 
nor  was  it  because  we  lacked  faith  in  the  character  of 
our  high  school  girls;  but  that  it  reflected  on  no  one  to 
make  all  safe  from  the  possibility  of  gossip  so  far  as 
could  be  done. 


SOME  COMMENTS  239 

This  calls  to  mind  the  case  of  a  young  friend  of  mine. 
He  entered  high  school  work  when  but  little  more  than 
a  boy,  still  in  the  adolescent  period.  He  lived  the  first 
year  very  closely  in  sympathy  with  his  superintendent,  in 
whom  he  confided,  and  whose  advice  he  always  followed, 
and  he  made  a  record  of  which  all  were  proud.  The  fol- 
lowing year  he  was  under  another  superintendent  with 
whom  the  relation  was  not  so  close,  and  who  was  slow 
to  offer  his  help  to  the  younger  teachers.  This  second 
year  mistakes  were  made  that  were  very  humiliating  to 
this  young  teacher. 

Some  months  later,  he  was  visiting  his  first  superin- 
tendent, and  told  him  of  the  mistakes  he  had  made,  and 
when  the  superintendent,  not  in  a  condemning  or  fault- 
finding manner,  asked,  "Why  did  you  do  it?"  the  young 
man  replied:  "I  did  it  because  you  were  not  there  to 
help  me."  He  was  a  splendid  young  man,  and  with  a 
little  guidance  on  the  part  of  the  principal  and  super- 
intendent, an  able,  inspiring,  high  school  teacher. 

The  time  may  come  when  the  training  given 
candidates  for  high  school  positions  will  enable  them  to 
understand,  at  least  to  a  considerable  extent,  high  school 
problems;  but  as  I  have  already  said,  at  the  present 
time  and  for  some  time  to  come,  principals  and  super- 
intendents must  do  a  large  part  of  this  training. 

High-school  principals  and  superintendents  of 
schools  must  be  careful  in  their  selection  of  teachers 
that  they  may  not  bring  into  their  corps  young  people 
whose  ideals  have  been  lowered  by  having  come  in  con- 
tact with  teachers  of  the  wrong  type  in  higher  schools. 
It  is  of  great  importance  to  the  principal  and  superin- 
tendent to  know  that  the  young  man  or  woman  who 
would  enter  the  ranks  of  their  school  teachers  has  been 
under  the  inspiration  of  a  really  great  teacher.  I  re- 


240  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

member  well  a  young  man  who  was  an  applicant  for  a 
position  as  teacher  in  our  high  school.  He  and  I  called 
upon  one  of  the  members  of  the  board  of  education  who 
knew  well  the  faculty  of  the  school  from  which  the 
young  man  came,  and  who  knew,  too,  that  in  that 
faculty  there  was  one  man  pre-eminent  as  a  teacher  and 
inspirer  of  youth.  When  this  teacher's  name  was  men- 
tioned, the  young  man's  face  glowed  with  admiration. 
After  the  young  man  had  passed  out,  the  board  mem- 
ber said,  "I'm  in  favor  of  that  young  man,  he  has  been 
inspired  by  a  really  great  teacher."  The  years  follow- 
ing proved  that  that  great  teacher's  ideals  implanted  in 
the  young  man,  made  him  a  blessing  to  our  school. 
********* 

The  teacher  of  grammar  grade  and  of  high  school 
scholars  should  be  able  to  read  many  of  these  ordinarily 
fleeting  peculiarities  of  youth  and  know  how,  without 
calling  attention  to  them,  to  meet  them  as  worthy  only 
a  passing  notice,  until  they  cease  to  appear.  There  is 
always  great  danger  that  the  boy  or  girl  may  be  greatly 
injured  by  having  his  attention  directed  to  his  own  pe- 
culiarities, sometimes  so  injured  that  what  otherwise 
might  be  of  a  fleeting  character,  is  fixed  as  a  lifelong 
trait,  possibly  by  his  own  brooding  over  it  and  bring- 
ing it  too  strongly  into  his  consciousness.  To  greatly 
humiliate  an  adolescent  over  the  fact  that  he  is  not  as 
many  others  at  his  age  is  a  great  wrong. 

Miss  M was  teacher  of  a  class  in  Algebra.  It 

was  not  a  beginning  class.  It  was  a  class  that  had  been 

poorly  taught  the  year  before.  Miss  M was 

studying  the  work  of  each  member  of  the  class  very  care- 
fully to  discover  the  weak  points  of  each  that  she  might 
help  each  one  just  at  the  point  where  he  most  needed 


SOME  COMMENTS  241 

help.  She  was  an  inspiring,  able  teacher.  She  was 
given  this  poorly  prepared  class  because  the  principal 
knew  she  was  the  most  able  of  all  his  faculty  to  even  up 
and  lead  forward  such  a  class.  She  was  succeeding 
splendidly  and  holding  her  class  at  a  high  point  of  in- 
terest. All  but  one  large  boy  were  responding  to  every 
effort.  But  Mack  Vaney  sat  in  the  class  making  but 
little  attempt  to  do  the  work.  He  said  he  never  could 
"do  Algebra"  and  there  was  no  use  in  his  trying.  The 
teacher  felt  she  must  show  him  that  he  could  "do  Al- 
gebra," and  that  it  was  time  for  her  to  act, 

One  day,  as  they  were  taking  up  a  new  process  in 
Algebra  that  required  considerable  practice  to  fix  it  so 
it  could  be  used  automatically,  she  invited  all  of  the 
class  who  would  like  to  go  through  the  process  with  her 
after  school  to  remain.  To  Mack  she  quietly  gave  a 
special  invitation.  A  large  part  of  the  class  at  the  close 

of  school  passed  to  Miss  M 's  room,  stepped  to  the 

blackboard,  and  under  her  guidance,  solved  problem 
after  problem  by  the  new  process.  In  fact,  some  of 
them  worked  every  problem  of  the  next  morning's 
lesson  before  leaving.  But  Mack  sat  looking  like  a 
thundercloud,  until  all  but  one  or  two  others  had  left 

the  room.     Then  Miss  M asked  him  to  try  a 

problem  on  the  blackboard  where  she  could  follow  his 
work,  step  by  step.  He  replied  again  that  there  was  no 
use  in  his  trying,  that  he  could  not  do  it.  His  eyes 
filled  and  the  tears  flowed  freely.  Mad,  or  angered? 
Yes,  but  not  at  the  teacher,  for  he  thought  her  ideal; 
but  he  had  so  thoroughly  convinced  himself  that  he 
could  not  "do  Algebra,"  that  he  was  just  in  an  ugly 
spirit  at  himself,  and  was  unwilling  to  try.  The  teacher 
felt  it  was  then  or  never  with  him  and  was  determined 
to  prove  to  him  that  he  could  do  the  work.  She  in- 


242  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

sisted  that  he  try.  He  made  the  effort,  still  in  the  same 
mood.  Step  by  step,  she  held  him  to  the  process,  prob- 
lem after  problem,  not  speaking  many  words.  Finally, 
he  reached  the  point  where  all  she  said  was :  ' '  Correct, 
take  the  next  one."  Every  problem  in  the  next  day's 
lesson  was  correctly  solved  before  Mack  was  permitted 
to  leave  the  blackboard.  Then,  when  excused,  he 
quietly  said,  "Good-night!"  and  passed  out  on  his  way 
home. 

From  that  day  on,  he  was  a  leader  in  his  class  in 
Mathematics.  I  knew  him  through  Geometry  and  Trig- 
onometry. He  never  after  that  day  called  or  accepted 
help  from  anyone,  but  led  in  all  the  work.  No  other 
teacher  in  that  school  could  have  done  what  Miss 

M did,  for  while  he  was  a  fine  boy  he  was,  if 

stirred  a  little,  very  stubborn,  and  no  other  teacher  had 
that  quiet,  poised  manner,  that  masterful  power,  that 
compelled  action  without  irritation  that  Miss  M 


Miss  Martha  Pollard  was  a  graduate  of  a  high  school 
and  of  a  state  normal  school,  but  had  had  no  teaching 
experience  other  than  the  practice  work  in  the  normal 
school,  when  she  was  employed  to  teach  in  our  city 
schools.  She  had  made  a  record  far  above  the  ordinary 
in  scholarship  in  both  the  schools;  not  only  had  she 
been  well-trained  for  the  work  of  a  teacher,  but  she 
seemed  possessed  of  qualities  of  heart  and  mind  that 
gave  promise  of  a  fine  teacher. 

She  was  first  given  a  fourth  grade  room.  The  pupils 
had  been  finely  taught  and  the  government  had  been 
almost  ideal  in  the  third  grade  room  from  which  they 
were  promoted.  They,  in  fact,  had  never  been  in  a  room 


SOME  COMMENTS  243 

where  there  was  anything  but  the  best  of  order,  so  knew 
nothing  else.  The  fourth  grade  room  was  an  ideal  room 
for  a  young  teacher.  A  room  that  gave  her  every  op- 
portunity to  make  a  good  beginning.  But  her  work  the 
first  semester  was  very  poor,  so  poor  that  our  primary 
supervisor  gave  her  much  attention  and  help,  hoping 
Miss  Pollard  would,  after  becoming  accustomed  to  the 
school,  be  able  to  put  into  the  work  of  teaching  the 
power  she  seemed  to  possess. 

During  this  first  semester,  she  made  some  improve- 
ment, but  it  was  not  marked.  The  second  semester,  she 
had  a  class  in  fifth  grade  work,  and  did  much  better 
teaching  than  she  had  done  in  the  fourth  grade.  Her 
teaching  was  much  improved  and  her  grip  on  the  room 
was  stronger.  She  was  still  far  from  the  teacher  we 
had  hoped  she  would  be,  but  as  she  had  made  some  im- 
provement, especially  the  second  semester,  and  had 
always  manifested  a  fine  spirit,  she  was  retained  for  the 
second  year. 

The  second  year,  she  was  given  fifth  grade  pupils,  a 
fine  class,  but  her  work  fell  below  what  it  had  been  the 
latter  half  of  the  first  year.  The  supervisor,  the  prin- 
cipal, the  superintendent,  put  forth  every  effort  to  help 
her,  but  she  still  failed  to  measure  up.  The  second  half 
of  the  year,  the  superintendent  followed  her  work  very 
closely  and  talked  with  her  very  frankly  about  it.  He 
studied  her,  too,  to  learn  her  weakness,  to  see  if  it  were 
possible  to  give  her  aid,  to  help  her  grow  in  power. 

He  finally  decided  she  was  afraid  to  assert  herself, 
to  make  herself  felt  as  head  of  her  school.  Her  in- 
struction was  good,  the  lessons  were  well-planned,  and 
while  he  was  in  the  room  the  order  was  good,  but  when 
he  was  out  of  the  room  for  a  day,  the  school  became  dis- 
orderly, and  the  teacher  stood  helpless  before  the  school. 


244  YOUE  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

At  this  time,  in  a  private  interview  with  the  teacher, 
he  told  her  that  she  must  make  a  decided  improvement 
in  her  work  or  she  must  drop  out  of  the  school  at  the 
close  of  the  semester;  that  it  was  a  great  wrong  to  the 
pupils  and  a  wrong  to  herself  for  her  to  continue  in  the 
work  if  she  could  do  no  better  work  as  a  teacher  than 
she  was  then  doing ;  that  her  room  was  the  poorest  taught 
school  in  the  city ;  that  it  was  for  her  to  decide  whether 
or  not  she  would  lose  her  place  in  the  school. 

She  took  this  plain  talk  very  much  to  heart,  and 
began  to  cry.  But  the  superintendent  said  there  was  no 
need  to  cry,  that  he  was  her  friend  and  anxious  to  see 
her  succeed,  but  that  no  one  could  teach  her  room  for 
her,  no  one  could  make  her  room  an  orderly,  studious 
room  for  her,  she  must  do  it  herself;  that  she  was  well- 
trained  and  of  good  scholarship;  but  that  it  seemed  to 
him  she  simply  would  not  put  forth  the  determined 
effort  to  control  her  room;  that  instead  of  standing  up 
before  that  room  with  an  air  of  authority  about  her, 
she  stood  looking  as  though  she  feared  every  one  of  the 
pupils ;  that  instead  of  crying,  she  ought  to  ' '  get  busy, ' ' 
determined  to  make  a  success,  to  have  an  orderly, 
studious  room,  a  room  in  which  she  and  the  pupils  too 
would  be  happy.  "But,"  said  he,  "if  you  will  not 
exert  yourself  to  be  master  of  your  school,  I  will  not 
recommend  you  for  a  place  for  the  coming  year.  You 
have  the  ability,  the  power  to  make  a  good  teacher,  if 
you  will  not  do  it  this  semester,  your  opportunity  here 
ends.  I  hope  you  do  what  I  know  you  can  do  if  you  but 
will  do  it," 

It  was  now  a  case  of  sink  or  swim  with  her,  and  she 
swam.  She  put  forth  the  effort  of  her  life  that  se- 
mester and  made  great  improvement.  At  the  close  of 
the  semester,  the  superintendent  said  to  her  that  she  had 


SOME  COMMENTS  JJ45 

improved  so  much  that  she  would  be  continued  in  the 
same  position  for  the  coming  year;  that  while  she  had 
made  great  improvement,  her  school  was  far  from  the 
school  he  expected  her  to  make  it  if  she  continued  to 
teach.  "You  have  the  ability,  but  are  only  beginning 
to  use  it.  Next  year  there  must  be  still  greater  im- 
provement. ' ' 

She  was  pleased,  but  knew  her  work  was  still  below 
what  it  must  be  to  hold  a  permanent  place  in  the  school. 
She  asked  if  she  could  not  be  given  a  room  in  some  other 
building.  The  superintendent  replied  that  she  would 
not  be  transferred  to  any  other  building  but  must  bring 
her  work  up  where  she  was,  that  there  was  no  easier 
place  in  the  city  schools.  Then  he  added:  "Go  home, 
take  your  vacation  free  from  thoughts  of  school.  Don't 
think  of  school,  but  have  a  good  time,  then  you  will  re- 
turn with  renewed  nerve  force  and  be  able  to  put  snap 
and  vim  into  your  work. ' ' 

The  superintendent  saw  no  more  of  her  until  one 
day  in  midsummer  she  called  at  his  office  to  talk  with 
him.  She  said  she  had  been  worrying  all  summer  about 
having  that  room  and  again  asked  for  a  change.  The 
superintendent  said  that  he  would  relieve  the  room  of 
one  boy  for  her,  but  would  make  no  other  change;  that 
she  must  bring  that  room  up  to  the  standard  of  the  best 
schools ;  that  she  had  showed  her  ability  to  do  it  and  that 
she  must  do  it.  Again  he  said  to  her  to  go  home  and 
quit  worrying. 

In  September,  she  was  in  her  place  with  a  different 
look  on  her  face.  Nothing  was  said  to  her  about  her 
room,  but  a  week  had  not  passed  before  all  knew  that  a 
complete  change  had  come  to  the  teacher  and  as  a  re- 
sult the  room  was  in  good  condition.  The  principal 
asked  the  superintendent  if  he  had  noted  the  change  in 


246  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

the  room,  saying,  she  is  doing  finely.  The  supervisors 
put  the  same  question  to  the  superintendent  each  one 
commenting  on  the  fine  room.  The  superintendent  re- 
plied to  each  questioner  that  he  had  noted  the  change. 

Shortly  after  the  close  of  the  first  month  of  the  se- 
mester, Miss  Pollard  said  to  the  superintendent  that  she 
believed  she  was  doing  the  kind  of  work  that  he  had 
said  she  must  do,  and  that  she  greatly  enjoyed  her 
school. 

"Yes,"  the  superintendent  replied,  "you  are  doing 
good  work.  I  knew  all  the  time  that  you  could  do  it,  but 
I  sometimes  feared  you  might  never  be  willing  to  put 
forth  the  effort  to  do  it.  I'm  greatly  pleased  with  what 
you  are  doing.  Of  course,  you  enjoy  it." 

In  this  case,  it  took  time  and  effort  on  the  part  of 
supervising  officers  to  make  this  young  woman  the  good 
teacher  that  she  finally  became.  The  fine  spirit  in  which 
she  received  all  criticisms  saved  her  to  final  success. 
No  fault  could  be  found  with  her  training  both  in  the 
normal  school  and  in  the  high  school.  She  was  under 
excellent  teachers. 

Here  is  another  beginning  teacher.  She  too  is  a 
high  school  graduate  and  a  normal  school  graduate. 
A  young  woman  of  fine  character  but  just  a  little  mis- 
trustful of  herself.  This  was  the  one  thing  that,  at  first, 
made  me  hesitate  to  give  her  a  place  as  a  primary 
teacher;  but  she  was  by  far  the  best  that  could  be  se- 
cured at  that  time  for  the  school  and  for  this  reason 
was  taken  into  our  corps  of  teachers. 

But  I  need  not  have  had  any  fears.  When  the  first 
day  she  stood  before  the  school,  a  bright  smile  lighting 
up  her  face,  a  face  full  of  faith  and  trust  in  the  boys 
and  girls,  coupled  with  a  something  that  suggested  ab- 
solute obedience  to  her  wishes,  and  when  I  saw  her 


SOME  COMMENTS  247 

definite  manner  as  she  moved  about  her  work,  I  knew 
that  a  young  teacher  of  unusual  worth  had  come  among 
us,  and  that  all  we  could  do  for  her  would  be  to  give 
her  opportunity  to  grow.  And  she  grew  and  she  grew 
to  far  better  things  as  a  teacher. 

*«=#####*# 

At  the  opening  of  one  fall  term,  we  had  a  new  man  in 
the  manual  training  shop  to  teach  the  seventh  and  the 
eighth  grade  boys  who  came  from  all  the  grammar 
schools  to  this  center  for  shop-work.  This  new  teacher 
had  had  some  experience  in  teaching  small  boys,  and  had 
had  a  fine  course  in  one  of  our  best  Mechanical  Engi- 
neering schools,  but  he  had  had  but  little  pedagogical 
training.  We  knew  he  was  short  in  his  pedagogical  train- 
ing although  he  had  taken  a  ' '  course  of  lectures "  ( ? ) 
on  teaching  manual  training.  However,  he  was  the  best- 
prepared  man  available  for  the  place  that  we  could  se- 
cure for  the  money  that  could  be  paid  that  year. 

I  watched  his  work  very  closely  and  kept  in  close 
touch  with  him.  He  was  a  fine  mechanic  and  his  ability 
and  equipment  in  mechanical  drawing  were  of  high 
order;  but  he  was  just  as  mechanical  in  handling 
seventh  and  eighth  grade  boys  as  he  was  skillful  in 
handling  mechanical  drawing  tools.  I  hoped  he  would 
improve  in  this  part  of  the  work,  but  with  all  my  assis- 
tance, for  quite  a  while,  I  almost  despaired  of  his  ever 
rising  to  an  appreciation  of  what  it  means  to  be  a 
teacher. 

The  principals  who  sent  boys  to  him  finally  began  to 
say  that  there  must  be  something  wrong  with  the 
teacher,  as  the  boys  did  not  care  for  their  manual  train- 
ing as  they  had  before  this  teacher  came.  I  knew  that 
the  boys  were  tired  of  the  dead  mechanics  of  his  work, 


248  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

and  that  in  some  way  I  must  get  him  to  a  higher  plane 
of  teaching,  or  he  could  not  continue  in  the  work  with 
us,  as  the  loss  to  the  boys  would  be  too  great.  One  day, 
I  was  at  a  grammar  building  talking  with  the  principal 
about  the  manual  training  work  when  she  said  that  the 
feeling  on  the  part  of  the  boys  against  the  manual  train- 
ing seemed  to  be  growing  worse  all  the  time.  I  asked 
her  to  call  to  the  office  one  class  of  the  boys  for  me  to 
talk  with  them. 

When  they  came  into  the  office,  I  greeted  them,  and 
said  that  I  wished  to  talk  with  them  about  their  manual 
training.  I  then  said  that  I  would  like  them  to  tell  me 
just  why  they  did  not  care  for  their  manual  training  as 
they  had  cared  for  it  the  last  year ;  that  they  should  tell 
me  anything  they  wished ;  that  I  knew  the  teacher  was 
trying  hard  to  help  them  and  was  willing  to  do  anything 
to  help  them ;  but  that  I  also  knew  they  did  not  like  to 
work  under  him;  that  I  was  anxious  to  find  out  the 
trouble  so  I  could  adjust  it  if  possible,  and  everyone  be 
happy  again  in  the  work. 

At  first,  no  one  felt  like  speaking,  but  with  a  little 
more  encouragement  on  my  part,  one  of  the  boys  said  in 
a  gentlemanly  manner,  "Mr.  Stableton,  we  don't  think 
he  treats  us  right."  "Well,"  I  replied,  "I'm  sure  he 
wishes  to  treat  you  right,  and  I'd  like  to  know  in  just 
what  way  he  does  not  treat  you  right. "  Then  one  of  the 
boys  said:  "Mr.  Stableton,  do  you  think  it  was  right 
for  him  to  make  me  stay  and  clean  up  a  part  of  the  floor 
as  a  punishment?"  I  smiled  and  replied,  "Why,  John, 
you  would  clean  up  the  whole  room  and  never  complain, 
if  I  were  to  ask  you  to  do  it."  "Yes,"  he  replied,  "but 
you  wouldn't  ask  me  the  way  he  does."  I  saw  the 
trouble.  The  work  was  not  interesting,  and  as  a  result, 
he  was  ruffling  their  feelings.  It  was  more  a  matter  of 


SOME  COMMENTS  249 

their  feelings  than  anything  else.  The  teacher  was 
calling  forth  the  wrong  response  from  the  boys.  My 
part  was  to  bring  about  a  different  method  of  approach 
on  the  part  of  the  teacher,  and  to  help  him  to  do  away 
with  the  dead  monotony  of  the  work. 

I  next  had  a  talk  with  the  teacher.  I  explained  that 
the  boys  were  asking  to  be  permitted  to  give  up  manual 
training,  and  finally  told  him  of  what  I  had  learned  of 
how  they  felt.  He  was  very  sorry,  for  he  was  honestly 
trying  to  do  his  part.  I  said  further  that  the  boys  had 
the  notion  that  he  did  not  like  them. 

"But,  Mr.  Stableton,"  he  replied,  "I  do  like  them 
and  am  trying  so  hard  to  be  helpful/' 

"I  believe  every  word  you  say,"  I  answered,  for  I 
did,  "but  you  and  I  together  must  bring  about  a  better 
understanding  so  they  will  feel  that  you  are  interested 
in  them  as  I  know  you  are."  It  means  everything  to 
you  to  make  a  success  with  these  boys  and  there  is  no 
reason  why  you  cannot  do  it." 

He  said  again  that  he  was  trying  hard  and  that  he 
thought  he  had  pretty  good  order  and  attention  to  work, 
but  that  sometimes  little  things  happened  that  he  had 
to  correct.  John,  he  said  had  been  somewhat  inattentive, 
so  he  had  told  him  to  remain  after  school,  and  required 
him  to  clean  up  a  part  of  the  shop  as  a  punishment. 
"And  don't  you  think  that  was  a  good  way  to  punish 
him?  I've  been  trying  to  think  out  ways  of  punishing 
boys  who  are  inattentive  or  do  not  do  their  work,  and 
it  seems  to  me  to  keep  John  in  and  require  him  to  do 
that  work  was  a  good  thing.  What  do  you  think?" 

I  replied  that  I  feared  he  had  hold  of  the  wrong  end 
of  the  situation ;  that  I  had  studied  how  to  interest  and 
direct  energy  rather  than  how  to  punish  offenders;  and 
that  I  was  sure  we  had  found  the  source  of  his  trouble. 


250  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

* ' Why, ' '  said  he,  "I 'd  like  to  have  you  read  my  notes 
on  the  lectures  on  school  discipline  given  us  at  the  uni- 
versity. They  tell  us  just  how  to  try  to  plan  out  certain 
punishments  for  certain  offenses." 

I  kindly  said,  "Look  here,  my  dear  sir,  you  burn  up 
those  notes  and  come  here  determined  to  live  with  these 
boys  and  to  think  how  to  interest  them,  how  to  direct 
their  energy  and  at  the  same  time  make  them  feel  that 
yours  is  a  sincere  interest  in  them,  and  the  problem  of 
punishment  will  largely  cease  to  bother  you.  When- 
ever you  have  the  right  relation  between  yourself  and 
them,  John  would  be  more  than  willing  to  clean  up  the 
whole  room.  No,  I'd  not  recommend  giving  a  boy  a  job 
of  cleaning  up  a  room  as  a  punishment,  I'd  do  nothing 
that  he  could  feel  degrades  him.  If  John  had  littered 
up  the  floor,  I'd  have  him  clean  it  up,  not  as  a  punish- 
ment, but  as  a  matter  of  right,  taking  it  for  granted 
that  he  would  always  wish  to  do  the  right  thing,  or  as 
he  might  say,  give  him  a  square  deal." 

"These  boys  come  to  you  expecting  to  do  the  right 
thing,  but  when  you  put  a  mechanical  rein  on  them  and 
keep  a  suspicious  look-out  for  someone  to  brace  against 
it,  you  suggest  to  them  the  very  thing  you  would  not 
have  them  do.  Quit  looking  for  offenses.  Expect  them 
to  do  right.  Greet  them  cordially  when  they  come  into 
the  shop  and  keep  the  work  spinning  and  keep  your 
mind  on  what  you  and  they  are  going  to  accomplish,  and 
before  you  know  it,  you  will  have  a  common  interest 
and  be  pulling  together. 

"Then  I'd  make  a  little  change  in  the  work.  I'd 
give  more  freedom  to  individuals  and  get  away  from  the 
monotony  of  trying  to  hold  everyone  to  work  on  the 
same  thing  at  the  same  time.  I  think  I'd  have  as  many 
projects  as  boys,  so  each  one  would  be  following  out 


SOME  COMMENTS  251 

something  of  interest  to  him.  This,  together  with  your 
own  changed  attitude,  ought  soon  to  make  a  very  dif- 
ferent situation  from  what  you  now  have.  There  is  no 
reason  why  you  cannot  make  a  successful  teacher,  your 
education,  your  fine  mechanical  skill,  and  your  willing- 
ness to  work,  and  work  hard,  are  great  assets.  Now  cul- 
tivate the  spirit  of  a  teacher  and  you  will  succeed.  I'm 
sure  you  will  do  it.  I  '11  give  you  every  assistance  in  my 
power.  You  must  succeed,  you  are  too  good  a  young 
man  to  fail. ' ' 

After  this,  from  time  to  time,  we  talked  together  of 
his  work  and  it  was  not  long  until  there  was  a  marked 
change  for  the  better.  There  was  a  pleasant  atmosphere 
in  the  room,  there  was  just  as  close  attention  to  busi- 
ness, but  the  boys  were  happy  and  the  teacher  was  too. 

The  latter  part  of  the  semester  he  said  to  me:  "Mr. 
Stableton,  I  now  know  what  you  meant  when  you  talked 
to  me  of  getting  hold  of  the  boys  and  directing  them  in- 
stead of  studying  how  to  punish  them."  And  I  re- 
plied: "You  don't  need  to  tell  me,  I  know  the  change 
that  has  come  to  you,  and  I  'm  wonderfully  pleased. ' ' 

He  was  with  us  two  years,  and  we  were  all  sorry  to 
lose  him,  but  an  opening  paying  him  $700  more  than  we 
could  possibly  pay  came  to  him  and  called  him  from  us. 
Two  years  later  I  received  a  letter  from  him  saying  that 
he  wished  to  thank  me  for  the  help  I  had  given  him  when 
he  first  came  to  our  school ;  that  that  year 's  training  had 
made  it  possible  for  him  to  hold  the  position  he  then 
held  in  one  of  our  state  normal  schools. 

********* 

Young  people  at  this  age  are  very  sensitive  to  the 
shades  of  honesty  that  the  teacher  manifests  from  day 
to  day  in  the  conduct  of  the  work  in  his  classroom ;  and 


252  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

the  class  estimate  of  the  teacher's  honesty  of  character 
is  not  far  from  right.  A  small  minority  may  hold  a 
different  view,  but  this  does  not  affect  the  class  estimate. 

In  a  few  instances,  I  have  known  teachers  who 
counted  themselves  strictly  honest,  and  prided  them- 
selves on  being  teachers  of  morality,  but  who  because  of 
their  unkind  attitude  toward  some  of  their  fellow- 
teachers,  were  actually  teaching  their  scholars  to  be  dis- 
honest. These  teachers  have  permitted  themselves  from 
day  to  day  to  criticize  some  of  their  fellow  teachers' 
classroom  work.  I  do  not  mean  that  they  speak  openly 
unkindly,  but  they  speak  disparagingly  of  the  work 
done  in  other  classrooms,  not  so  much  for  the  purpose 
of  injuring  the  other  teachers,  oh  no!  they  would  not 
do  aught  against  fellow  teachers,  but  rather  with  the 
intent  of  making  their  own  work  stand  out  as  some- 
thing superior  when  compared  with  that  of  other 
teachers.  Some  otherwise  good  teachers  fall  into  this 
selfish  habit  and  so  unfit  themselves  for  the  work  of  de- 
veloping character. 

The  scholars  recognize  this  as  an  unfair  blow  at  fel- 
low teachers  and  usually  ascribe  it  to  jealousy.  Boys 
and  girls  of  these  grades  recognize  the  fact  that  a 
teacher  to  be  honest  should  devote  herself  during  the 
class  periods  to  the  work  of  teaching  and  give  no  un- 
kind attention  to  the  work  done  by  other  teachers.  They 
may  in  many  ways  admire  this  teacher  who  is  given  to 
this  unkind  work,  but  when  they  analyze  her  character, 
they  always  say  that  she  is  lacking  in  honesty,  in  fair- 
ness. 

It  might  be  thought  that  if  these  scholars  so  clearly 
analyze  the  character  of  teachers  of  this  class,  that  they 
would  receive  no  harm  from  being  under  their  teaching ; 
but  this  is  not  the  case,  they  do  receive  harm  from  these 


SOME  COMMENTS  253 

teachers.  "Vice  is  a  monster  of  so  fearful  mien  as  to  be 
hated  needs  but  to  be  seen,  yet  seen  too  oft,  familiar 
with  her  face,  we  first  endure,  then  pity,  then  embrace. ' ' 
Nowhere  is  this  more  true  than  in  the  case  of  adolescent 
boys  and  girls  under  a  teacher  of  this  type.  The 
teacher's  weakness  becomes  unto  them  an  excuse  for 
their  own  weaknesses;  whereas  the  character  of  the 
teacher  should  be  a  constant  inspiration  to  higher 
ideals  on  the  part  of  scholars.  Teachers  who  permit 
themselves  to  do  these  things,  are,  unconsciously  it  may 
be,  teachers  of  dishonesty. 

********* 

A  short  time  ago,  in  conversation  with  a  friend  of 
mine,  a  principal  of  a  large  elementary  school  in  one  of 
our  great  cities,  he  remarked  that  he  had  been  greatly 
depressed  for  the  past  week;  in  fact,  he  said  that  their 
whole  corps  of  city  teachers  had  been  somewhat  under  a 
depressing  cloud  of  feeling  ever  since  Professor  X  had 
lectured  to  them  the  week  before  on  the  Immorality  of 
Grammar  Grade  and  High  School  Scholars. 

And  then  he  continued:  "If  the  situation  is  as  he 
depicted  it  to  us,  it  is  appalling,  but  I  cannot  bring 
myself  to  believe  his  words,  still  I  have  been  greatly  dis- 
turbed and  depressed." 

I  felt  quite  a  little  provoked  with  my  friend  that  he 
should  even  be  disturbed  by  Prof.  X's  talk.  I  said  that 
even  if  the  data  the  Professor  had  collected  were  made 
up  of  facts,  still  his  interpretation  was  at  fault.  I  had 
lived  too  many  years  in  close  association  with  boys  and 
girls,  scholars  in  these  grades  of  school,  and  had  given 
too  much  thought  and  study  to  them,  to  their  physical, 
and  their  moral  development  as  well  as  to  their  in- 
tellectual, to  be  even  slightly  disturbed  by  anything 


254  YOUR  PROBLEMS  AND  MINE 

Prof.  X  might  say.  I  knew  then  and  I  know  now  that 
they  constitute  the  finest  body  of  youth,  intellectually 
and  morally,  in  our  land. 

I  was  pleased  to  hear  the  words  of  Dr. at  the 

National  Educational  Association,  July,  1921,  when  he 
said  that  the  morals  of  high  school  scholars  are  fully  up 
to  the  standard  of  morals  of  the  community  in  which  a 
high  school  is  located.  I  would  say  above  the  standard 
of  the  community  of  the  school. 

Someone  has  said  the  intelligent  teacher,  the  one  who 
knows  that  youth  brings  the  unexpected,  the  extrava- 
gant, the  contradictory,  yet  honest,  the  concealed  yet 
open,  the  silly,  the  grinny,  and  the  what  not,  in  all  the 
make-up  of  the  outcroppings  of  a  thousand  generations ; 
the  teacher  who  knows  that  his  work  is  the  living  with 
these,  the  working  with  them,  and  more  than  all  else,  the 
so  entering  into  their  feelings  and  ideals  that  he  can 
cultivate  that  within  himself  which  appeals  to  them  in 
so  masterly  a  way  that  he,  even  against  their  own  de- 
sires, moves  them  to  act,  to  form  new  and  higher  ideals, 
is  a  most  powerful  agent  for  good  in  their  education. 
But  that  teacher  who  knows  not  these  things,  whose  soul 
is  not  in  harmony  with  youth;  who  sees  only  the  un- 
expected, the  extravagant,  the  contradictory,  the  con- 
cealed, the  silly,  the  grinny,  and  the  what  not  that  are 
disagreeable  and  unreliable  in  all  the  outcroppings  of  a 
thousand  generations ;  who  knows  not  that  his  work  is  to 
live  with  these  youth,  to  work  with  them,  so  to  enter 
their  lives  and  feelings  that  his  ideals  may  become  their 
ideals,  that  he  who  knows  not  these  things,  calls  the 
good,  bad;  and  the  righteous,  unrighteous,  and  does  in- 
jury that  none  may  repair.  And,  alas!  too  often  not 
even  the  teacher  himself  knows  of  the  great  wrong  he 
has  done. 


SOME  COMMENTS  255 

I  do  not  believe  the  ability  to  interest,  control  and 
inspire  adolescent  boys  and  girls  is  all  a  gift.  Natural 
aptitude  there  no  doubt  is,  but  he  who  is  skillful  in  the 
work  has  become  so  by  a  careful  study  of  boys  and  girls 
and  by  a  close  training  of  himself.  And  there  are  those 
both  men  and  women  who  seem  possessed  of  a  power 
over  youth  which  to  an  ordinary  observer  is  almost 
wonderful.  Could  we  secure  for  grammar  grade  and 
for  high  school  teachers  those  who  possess  this  ability 
in  so  marked  a  degree,  one  of  the  most  difficult  problems 
of  these  schools  would  be  solved. 

It  is  not  a  difficult  thing  to  come  into  the  confidence 
of  scholars  at  this  period  of  their  life,  and  it  is  an  en- 
joyable companionship  to  live  near  them.  In  fact,  to 
know  them  is  but  to  enjoy  them.  A  number  of  years 
ago  I  heard  Edward  Everett  Hale  preach  a  sermon ;  his 
theme  was  The  Enjoyment  of  God.  He  said  that  the 
answer  to  the  first  question  in  the  old  catechism  had 
never  been  improved  upon :  ' '  What  is  the  chief  end  of 
Man?"  Answer — "To  glorify  God  and  to  enjoy  him 
forever,"  and  then  he  added,  "And  especially  to  enjoy 
Him. ' '  Here  is  much  of  the  secret  of  dealing  with  adoles- 
cents, it  is  not  only  to  know  them  physically,  mentally, 
spiritually,  and  in  their  environment;  but  it  is  for 
teachers  to  cultivate  that  within  themselves  which  will 
enable  them  to  enjoy  boys  and  girls  of  this  age. 


APPENDIX 


APPENDIX 

OBSERVATIONS  AND  QUESTIONS  THAT  ARE  SUGGESTED  IN  THE 
STUDY  OF  INDIVIDUAL  CASES 


On  Chapter  One 

I  have  given  this  story  of  Ned  E.  that  teachers  may  see  how 
easy  it  is  to  deal  with  a  scholar  when  the  teacher  knows  him  as 
the  scholar  does  not  know  himself,  physically,  mentally  and 
emotionally,  morally  or  spiritually;  in  his  home,  and  to  some 
extent  in  his  birth  inheritance. 

Ten  years  of  observation  and  study  had  revealed  Ned  to  me. 
The  ever  to  be  expected  unexpected  bursting  forth  of  the  ferment 
of  youth  was  plainly  to  be  seen  as  the  cause  of  his  trouble  so 
I  cared  little  for  the  form  in  which  it  manifested  itself. 

His  attitude  when  he  came  into  the  room  made  it  possible 
for  me  to  say,  "Go  and  sin  no  more,"  but  I  couched  the  same 
thought  in  somewhat  different  phraseology. 

A  strong  sense  of  regained  self  control  was  evident  in  Ned's 
attitude  when  he  came  into  the  room.  How  was  that  control 
strengthened  by  our  interview? 

What  should  be  the  object  in  view  in  the  adjustment  of  all 
school  offenses? 

Why  was  it  important  for  Ned  to  see  that  with  us  a  good 
record  for  years  outweighed  one  serious  mistake? 


In  the  second  story  in  this  chapter  the  strong  points  of  the 
teacher  are  only  indicated.  She  yet  needed  to  be  guided  through 
some  experiences  to  ripen  her  intellectual  grasp  into  full  under- 
standing. 

Wherein  did  this  teacher  fall  short? 

Is  her  weakness  a  common  weakness  with  young  teachers  in 
the  grammar  grades  and  high  schools? 

Does  the  reader  know  of  a  better  way  for  the  superintendent 
to  aid  a  teacher  of  this  type? 

In  the  next  teacher's  similar  experience  what  were  the  strong 
points  as  brought  out  in  her  story? 

259 


260  APPENDIX 

THE  MAN  WHO  WAS  ATTRACTIVE  TO  YOUTH 

Does  the  reader  believe  that  some  persons  are  born  with  dis- 
positions or  personalities  that  are  less  attractive  to  youth  than 
others? 

Does  the  story  imply  that  this  man  depended  wholly  on  his 
natural  attractiveness  to  youth  to  hold  their  interest  in  him,  or 
did  he  put  forth  effort  to  cultivate  their  acquaintance,  to  make 
himself  attractive  to  them? 

If  the  reader  believes  he  was  born  with  a  disposition  that  is 
not  attractive  to  boys  and  girls  at  the  stage  of  youth,  what 
should  he  do  if  he  is  to  be  a  teacher  of  youth? 

What  should  all  teachers  of  youth  do  if  they  are  to  continue 
to  teach  boys  and  girls  in  the  critical,  sensitive  period  of  youth? 

SAM  AND  DICK 

When  I  was  a  boy,  a  neighbor  boy  took  a  trip  to  New  Orleans 
on  a  steamboat.  New  Orleans  was  far,  far  away  in  those  times. 
When  the  boy  returned  home  he  told  how  lonesome  he  was  while 
in  New  Orleans,  and  that  one  day  while  wandering  about  the 
city  he  happened  to  meet  a  "  roust-about, "  a  freight  handler 
who  worked  on  the  deck  of  an  Ohio  river  steamboat  that  had 
just  come  down  to  New  Orleans.  This  roust-about  was  from 
Manchester  but  he  and  the  boy  did  not  know  each  other  in  Man- 
chester; they  had  nothing  in  common;  "but,"  said  the  boy, 
"I  was  never  in  my  life  so  glad  to  see  anybody  else  as  I  was 
to  see  him,  and  we  just  felt  like  we  were  kin;  and  my!  didn't 
we  talk  about  Manchester!" 

What  common  interest  or  experience  brought  the  superintend- 
ent near  to  Sam,  and  gave  something  to  talk  about? 

In  what  way  could  this  friendly  feeling  be  helpful  to  Sam? 

What  would  the  reader  do  with  a  sixteen  year  old  boy  under 
like  conditions  of  scholarship  if  the  boy  were  in  his  school? 

What  should  the  school  try  to  give  every  boy  and  every  girl? 

Is  it  better  sometimes  to  make  use  of  corporal  punishment 
to  hold  a  boy  to  orderly,  obedient  conduct  in  school,  rather  than 
to  set  him  adrift  on  the  street,  or  to  send  him  to  some  state 
institution  for  incorrigibles  where  with  all  his  associates  of  his 
own  class,  or  worse,  there  is  little  hope  for  his  developing  the 
best  things  that  are  in  him? 


APPENDIX  261 

Why  was  it  necessary  for  the  good  of  Dick  that  he  be  made 
to  recognize  authority? 

Why  was  it  not  best  for  the  pupils  to  talk  about  Dick's  af- 
fair on  the  playground  or  on  the  way  to  and  from  school? 

RULES  AND  REGULATIONS  FOR  FRESHMEN  AND  SOPHOMORES 

How  could  such  mistakes  as  this  teacher  made  be  foreseen  and 
avoided  by  young  teachers  fresh  from  colleges  and  universities? 

Should  the  influence  every  active  teacher  has  with  scholars 
be  directed  in  common  to  support  good  ends  for  all  student-con- 
trolled affairs  of  the  school? 

What  made  it  possible  to  adjust  a  situation,  that  could  so 
easily  have  developed  into  a  rowdy  school  affair,  with  no  pub- 
licity? 

Was  the  manner  in  which  the  affair  was  settled  fair  to  all? 
Why  or  why  not? 

WAS  THIS  A  CASE  OF  PREVENTION  OR  OF  CORRECTION? 

What  does  the  football  case  indicate  as  to  the  superintend- 
ent's faith  and  trust  in  the  athletic  boys  that  they  would  do 
right  when  the  situation  was  placed  before  them  in  a  clear  light? 

Why  was  his  visual  plan  of  showing  the  middle  of  the  week 
a  good  one? 

Why  did  he  first  place  the  whole  situation  before  each  of 
the  two  most  interested  boys? 

Did  the  superintendent  make  any  demands  of  the  boys  when 
all  met  together  to  consider  the  affair? 

Why  would  it  not  have  been  a  better  way  for  the  superin- 
tendent to  have  said  that  Jack  could  not  play,  and  that  it  would 
be  useless  to  talk  any  more  about  it? 


On  Chapter  Two 

Teachers  of  high  schools  and  grammar  grades  should  have  at 
least  a  fair  knowledge  of  the  physical  and  mental  characteristics 
of  youth.  How  to  apply  this  as  working  knowledge  is  the  prob- 
lem upon  which  help  is  often  needed. 


262  APPENDIX 

What  is  the  meaning  of  the  word  adolescence,  and  the  word 
pubescence  as  used  in  this  book? 

What  ordinarily  are  the  years  when  boys  pass  through  'the 
changes  of  pubescence,  and  what  are  the  years  for  the  same 
changes  in  the  girls  f 

What  are  some  of  the  outward  evidences  that  the  boy  or  girl 
is  in  the  stage  of  pubescence  f 

Which  usually  grows  first,  bones  or  muscles! 

What  effect  may  a  great  growth  of  bones  before  a  correspond- 
ing growth  of  muscles  have  on  the  youth? 

In  childhood,  how  did  the  bones  and  the  muscles  grow? 

What  characteristic  of  many  a  youth  does  the  case  of  Theo- 
dore illustrate? 

Why  are  not  all  tall  boys  awkward  at  the  time  of  making 
their  rapid  growth? 

Why  do  boys  and  girls  when  passing  through  pubescence  lose 
some  of  their  power  to  write  well,  or  to  read  or  sing  well? 

How  should  a  teacher  deal  with  scholars  who,  in  the  stage 
of  pubescence,  lose  for  a  time  the  power  to  do  form  work  and 
oral  work  as  well  as  formerly? 

On  Chapter  Three 

To  gain  power  for  helpfulness  to  the  youth  under  their  charge 
is  the  purpose  and  spirit  of  teachers  in  studying  the  most  funda- 
mental change  of  this  period. 

If  there  is  any  retardation  in  this  fundamental  change,  how 
does  it  manifest  itself? 

How  much  do  teachers  know  of  the  causes  of  retardation  in 
the  fundamental  change  of  this  period? 

What  can  the  school  do  for  a  boy  like  the  one  who  was  three 
years  in  our  high  school  retarded  physically  and  mentally?  Can 
sufficient  responsibility  for  results  in  social  and  constructive 
projects  be  required  in  the  school  to  arouse  latent  physical  and 
mental  energies? 

To  what  specialists  must  teachers  look  for  light  on  these 
physically  and  mentally  retarded  cases? 

How  do  the  mental  and  spiritual  transformations  compare 
with  the  physical? 


APPENDIX  263 

How  do  these  changes  sometimes  affect  the  emotions! 

What  sometimes  causes  bashfulness  or  the  opposite  on  the 
part  of  boys  and  girls  of  this  age? 

Does  the  story  of  Ben  M.  illustrate  all  the  teacher  and  school 
might  do  for  such  a  case? 

Does  the  story  of  the  boy  who  had  a  date  with  the  dentist 
call  for  further  treatment  after  the  principal's  quick  reprimand 
had  completely  changed  the  situation? 

The  case  of  Daniel  is  given  to  show  a  slow  and  extremely 
nervous  development  that  in  the  end  terminated  well. 

What  does  the  reader  think  of  the  great  care  exercised  by 
the  boy's  parents,  doctor  and  school? 

How  does  a  youth  differ  from  a  child  in  play,  in  physical 
exercise,  in  reading,  in  friendship,  in  his  relations  to  the  oppo- 
site sex? 

Is  it  natural  that  boys  and  girls  "fall  in  love"  as  we  so 
often  state  it! 

At  about  what  time  in  adolescence  is  it  that  the  philosophy 
of  things  appeals  strongly  to  youth? 

Can  we  use  world  wide  problems  that  are  yet  unsettled  to 
stimulate  greatly  the  study  of  economic  and  social  problems  by 
high  school  scholars?  How? 

For  what  purpose  is  the  story  of  the  development  of  intel- 
lectual power  in  the  children  from  the  two  families  given? 

Generally  how  does  the  advent  of  pubescence  when  normally 
reached  affect  the  individual? 


On  Chapter  Four 

Why  is  youth  the  most  opportune  time  for  religious  teaching 
and  training? 

From  a  faith  based  on  what  to  a  faith  on  what  else  does  a 
youth  pass  in  his  religious  development? 

How  lasting  are  the  religious  impressions  made  at  this  time 
of  life  apt  to  be? 

What  is  the  greatest  danger  religiously  at  this  time  of  life? 

What  is  recommended  to  lessen  this  danger? 


264  APPENDIX 

In  what  ways  do  churches  take  advantage  of  this  psycholog- 
ically important  time  for  religious  teaching  and  training? 

Does  the  reader  think  the  first  boy's  experience  as  given  in 
the  story  is  the  experience  that  comes  to  many  although  modified 
in  details? 

What  did  this  boy's  questioning  and  seeking  after  evidence 
of  the  firm  foundation  of  his  faith  do  for  him? 

The  second  boy's  deeply  disturbed  religious  state  was  more 
out  of  the  ordinary. 

For  what  reason  did  his  parents  have  cause  to  be  anxious 
about  him? 

What  does  the  reader  think  of  the  school's  consideration  for 
the  boy? 

On  Chapter  Five 

Two  brothers  are  referred  to  as  illustrations,  one  to  represent 
the  on-coming  of  the  flood-tide  of  youthful  life  of  the  milder 
type;  the  other  of  the  deeply  emotional,  demonstrative  type. 

For  which  type  of  youth  are  friends  usually  most  concerned? 
Why? 

Is  either  type  the  more  normal? 

I  have  given  but  two  boy  stories  of  any  length  in  this  chap- 
ter. Both  boys  under  ordinary  conditions  were  of  the  milder 
type,  but  one  of  whom  proved  to  be  quite  violent  in  his  demon- 
strations when  moved  by  great  excitement  in  the  dark.  The 
other  was  always  true  to  his  type. 

Someone  asks  why  more  severe  punishment  was  not  given  the 
boy  who  was  anxious  for  "lime-light"  notice. 

Was  it  not  sufficient  that  the  boy  knew  that  we  knew? 


On  Chapter  Six 

The  unwise  advice  and  help  of  his  business  friend  brought 
the  first  boy's  dream  to  a  partial  realization.  Only  after  a  few 
years  did  he  understand  that  it  was  a  dream  and  that  its  too 
early  realization  had  blocked  his  advancement  in  his  chosen  work. 

In  the  case  of  the  second  boy  whose  dreams  were  "blue" 
his  school  friends  made  him  feel  that  others  were  interested  in 


APPENDIX  265 

him  and  in  what  he  was  doing.  Is  not  the  teacher  bound  to  urge 
education  as  the  essential  requirement  for  making  real  the  visions 
of  an  active  life? 

What  should  the  reading  of  the  stories  of  the  third  and 
fourth  boys  lead  teachers  to  do? 

What  does  this  dreaming,  even  listless  day-dreaming,  indicate? 

On  Chapter  Seven 

In  the  first  of  this  chapter  I  have  given  the  story  of  a  school 
board  member  whose  zealous  interest  in  the  education  of  the 
youth  of  his  town  and  the  surrounding  rural  district,  was  an 
inspiration  to  me  at  a  time  when  I  needed  the  inspiring  touch 
of  a  great-souled  man.  I  have  told  it  hoping  that  even  the  story 
simply  told  may  be  helpful  to  some  young  teacher  in  widening 
his  vision  of  his  work.  Were  the  boys  and  girls  for  whom  he 
so  zealously  worked,  worth  being  interested  in? 

Was  the  high  school  principal  who  was  proud  of  the  fact  that 
they  ' '  crowded ; '  all  scholars  of  low  scholarship  out  of  his  school, 
a  wise  principal?  Why,  or  why  not? 

What  should  be  said  of  the  high  school  teacher  who  was 
happy  to  be  where  all  the  requirements  laid  on  him  were  to  hear 
recitations,  mark  the  grades;  if  they  made  good  grades,  pass 
them;  if  poor  grades,  fail  them;  and  where,  as  he  said,  he  did 
not  have  to  give  them  any  attention  outside  of  the  class,  not 
even  to  know  them? 

What  should  be  said  of  the  third  teacher? 

With  which  one  of  the  three  teachers  does  the  teacher  who 
reads  this  chapter  class  himself? 

How  will  the  teacher  who  reads  this  chapter  measure  the  worth 
of  other  boys  like  the  ones  whose  stories  are  told  in  this  chapter, 
and  what  will  he  do  to  aid  them? 


On  Chapter  Eight 

What  responsibility  comes  to  the  coach  whom  the  first  boy 
chose  for  his  confidential  friend  during  the  time  he  was  seem- 
ingly estranged  from  his  father? 

How  did  this  coach  measure  up  to  his  responsibility? 


266  APPENDIX 

In  what  respect  does  the  boy  in  the  second  story  differ  from 
the  boy  in  the  first! 

What  do  you  think  of  the  third  father's  dealing  with  his 
son! 

Which  is  better  for  the  boy  for  the  father  to  be  able  to  say 
"Do  as  I  once  did,"  or,  "Do  as  I  do  now,"  when  he  talks 
with  his  boy  about  better  conduct? 


On  Chapter  Nine 

I  would  like  to  ask  a  few  questions  of  each  teacher  who  reads 
this  chapter  that  I  would  like  each  one  to  answer  for  himself. 

— Does  the  teacher  carry  a  spirit  of  honesty  about  him  that 
creates  an  atmosphere  of  honesty  in  his  schoolroom  f 

— Does  the  teacher  tempt  his  pupil  or  scholars  to  be  dishonest 
by  refusing  to  make  the  conditions  of  his  school  conducive  to 
honesty,  lest  someone  may  think  he  is  not  trusted! 

— Or,  putting  this  last  question  in  another  form,  does  the 
teacher  protect  the  honest  pupils  or  scholars  by  making  the  con- 
ditions under  which  the  school  work  is  done  in  his  school  as  free 
from  opportunities  for  cheating  as  he  can  make  them! 

— Does  the  teacher  give  his  close  attention  to  those  engaged 
in  a  test  in  order  that  he  may  know  just  what  each  one  does 
and  just  how  each  one  does! 

— What  things  important  for  a  teacher  to  know  can  he  learn 
by  giving  close  attention  to  those  writing  a  test  or  written 
lesson! 

— In  the  case  of  the  two  college  students,  were  they  guilty 
of  dishonesty  or  was  it  a  good  joke,  played  on  a  professor  who 
should  have  more  honestly,  on  his  part,  examined  the  students! 

Let  each  one  who  reads  this  chapter,  re-read  carefully  the 
story  of  Morris  E.,  the  last  story  in  the  chapter,  and  after  hav- 
ing reread  it,  say  to  himself  whether  or  not  he  approves  of  the 
disposition  made  of  Morris's  case. 

Which  prayer  in  the  last  paragraph  in  this  chapter  would  be 
the  reader's  to  pray! 


APPENDIX  267 

On  Chapter  Ten 

Of  what  is  this  chapter  really  a  study? 

Why  is  it  important  that  teachers  in  the  grammar  grades  and 
in  the  high  schools  should  study  this  subject? 

When  the  superintendent  wished  the  business  man  to  give  a 
place  in  his  store  to  Omar  M.,  why  did  he  tell  the  business  man 
Omar's  one  act  of  dishonesty  at  school? 

What  is  the  superintendent's  view  of  protecting  boys  in  their 
honesty  as  brought  out  in  the  three  boy  stories  of  this  chapter? 

Does  making  the  conditions  under  which  boys  handle  money 
safe  for  all  boys  reflect  on  those  who  need  no  protection?  Why? 

It  is  possible  in  the  case  of  Nellie  that  her  unsatisfied  craving 
for  beautiful  things  led  her  to  taking  things  when  but  a  child, 
and  that  this  grew  into  a  habit,  a  habit  that  held  her  with  a 
grip  at  high  school  age. 

What  help  can  the  school  give  to  one  of  her  class? 

How  careful  should  a  superintendent,  principal,  or  teacher 
be  in  recommending  scholars  or  youth  who  have  been  scholars  to 
positions  of  responsibility  and  trust? 

Is  it  possible  that  the  manual  training  boy  who  took  the 
drawing  board  is  a  moral  delinquent  because  of  some  physical 
defect? 

The  last  three  stories  need  no  comment. 


On  Chapter  Eleven 

Some  times  it  is  well  for  teachers  to  see  that  all  responsibility 
for  the  conduct  of  pupils  or  scholars  whom  they  teach  is  not 
theirs;  that  there  are  parts  of  each  day,  some  whole  days  each 
week,  Christmas  vacation  week,  spring  vacation  week,  and  the 
summer  vacation  of  two  or  three  months,  when  the  homes  and 
the  town  or  city  government  must  be  held  responsible  whether 
or  not  they  assume  the  burden. 

Who  are  responsible  for  the  boys  and  the  girls  each  day 
after  they  have  arrived  home  from  school  at  four  o'clock  until 
they  start  on  the  way  to  school  the  next  morning? 

Who  were  responsible  for  the  boys  who  took  the  cigars  from 
the  stores  after  eight  o'clock  p.  m.? 


268  APPENDIX 

Who  are  responsible  for  the  teaching  and  training  of  children 
up  to  six  years  of  age! 

What  does  the  reader  think  of  the  wisdom  of  the  principal 
who  refused  to  assume  responsibility  for  Henry  Smith's  conduct 
during  Thanksgiving  vacation? 

The  story  of  Henry  Smith  may  seem  overdrawn  but  truly  it 
falls  short  in  its  coloring. 

How  does  a  teacher  exert  his  greatest  influence  on  the  side 
of  right  living! 

What  are  the  rightful  duties  or  responsibilities  of  a  town  or 
city  superintendent  of  schools! 


On  Chapter  Twelve 

As  the  period  of  pubescence  is  past,  it  sometimes  requires 
something  a  little  out  of  the  ordinary  routine  to  cause  the  youth 
to  become  conscious  of  his  increased  mental  power.  Often  for 
a  part  of  the  period  of  pubescence  the  vital  forces  seem  so  cen- 
tered on  developing  the  physical  that  the  mental  power  is  weak. 
This  leads  the  youth  to  mistrust  his  mental  ability  so  that  when 
the  vital  forces  turn  their  attention  to  the  strengthening  of  the 
thinking  centers  of  the  brain  thus  giving  renewed  energy  and 
increased  power  to  his  thinking,  the  youth  fails  to  avail  himself 
of  this  increased  mental  ability  until  something  out  of  the  ordi- 
nary causes  him  to  put  forth  an  effort  to  use  his  mental  powers 
and  makes  him  conscious  of  his  mental  strength.  It  means  every 
thing  to  a  boy  or  girl  to  be  awakened  to  consciousness  of  mental 
power. 

What  two  things  did  the  declamation  contest  do  for  the  boy 
Myers? 

Why  did  the  superintendent  have  sufficient  faith  in  Frank  K. 
to  encourage  him  to  try  to  complete  his  work  for  graduation? 

What  did  the  father's  persistency  in  holding  Harmon  C.  to 
his  school  work  and  the  school's  interest  in  the  boy,  finally  do 
for  Harmon? 

The  story  of  Amelia  is  the  story  of  one  of  the  most  inter- 
esting developments  I  have  known.  A  girl  freshman  of  most  un- 
promising type;  a  second  year  student  evidencing  but  little  mental 
power  except  that  her  teachers  had  come  to  know  that  that  for- 


APPENDIX  269 

lorn  looking  little  body  was  faithfulness  personified.  Then  came 
the  wonderful  transformation  and  the  accomplishing  of  the  al- 
most impossible. 

What  did  the  school  do  for  Amelia? 


On  Chapter  Thirteen 

What  authority  is  claimed  for  the  school  on  the  way  to  and 
from  school? 

Under  what  conditions  are  the  parents  held  directly  responsi- 
ble for  the  conduct  of  their  children  on  the  way  to  and  from 
school? 

Who  should  hold  authority  for  conduct  at  all  parties,  or 
gatherings  held  by  high  school  scholars  or  grammar  grade  pupils 
in  the  name  of  the  high  school,  the  grammar  school,  or  in  the 
name  of  any  organizations  of  these  schools? 

Does  a  teacher  owe  it  to  his  school  to  deprive  himself  of 
some  social  privileges  in  order  that  he  may  the  better  serve  his 
school  if  occasion  seems  so  to  demand? 

Why  should  the  school  social  life  of  high  school  scholars  be 
considered  a  vital  high  school  interest,  and  be  given  as  thoughtful 
attention  in  the  organization  of  the  school  work  as  other  depart- 
ments of  high  school  work? 

Is  successful  cooperation  of  scholars  and  teachers  in  conduct- 
ing the  social  affairs  of  the  high  school  possible  in  all  high  schools? 

Can  you  use  the  story  of  the  development  of  the  social  life 
of  the  Bloomington  High  School  to  aid  other  school  officers  and 
teachers? 

On  Chapter  Fourteen 

Since  the  attraction  of  the  opposite  sex  is  one  of  the  indi- 
cations of  healthy,  normal  development  in  boys  and  girls  of  the 
adolescent  period  of  life,  and  since  the  greater  number  of  the 
boys  and  the  girls  in  the  advance  grammar  grades,  and  in  the 
high  school,  are  adolescents,  in  what  spirit  should  teachers,  prin- 
cipals, and  superintendents,  meet  some  situations  that  come  as 
a  result  of  having  to  deal  with  adolescent  boys  and  girls? 


270  APPENDIX 

Are  adolescent  boys  and  girls  in  our  schools  today  more  silly, 
and  given  to  infatuation  than  their  parents  were  at  the  dawn 
of  early  manhood  and  womanhood  in  their  day! 

While  boys  and  girls  are  experiencing  their  first  attack  of 
this  all-absorbing  instinct  before  judgment  has  come  to  their  aid, 
at  school  whose  good  judgment  and  common  sense  should  guide 
until  their  own  powers  are  developed? 

How  can  the  freest  possible  mingling  of  the  sexes  in  the 
social  affairs  of  the  school  be  made  wholesome  and  thus  safe  for 
all? 

What  care  should  be  taken  in  regard  to  opening  the  school 
building  for  the  reception  of  grammar  grade  pupils  and  high 
school  scholars,  and  what  with  regard  to  closing  when  the  day's 
work  is  done? 

How  can  a  kindly  guarding  and  directing  of  the  movements 
in  the  social  mingling  of  these  adolescents  be  kept  on  a  high 
friendly  plane  that  has  nothing  of  disagreeable  spying  in  it? 


On  Chapter  Fifteen 

What  would  the  reader  of  this  chapter  do  with  John  King  if 
he  had  him  in  his  school? 

What  would  the  principal  of  whom  I  have  written  in  another 
chapter  who  would  have  none  but  high  grade  scholars  in  his 
school  do  with  John  King? 

What  is  the  work  of  the  public  school? 

Could  Jane  Moore  have  been  treated  more  justly  than  she  was 
when  she  was  given  the  opportunity  to  get  out  of  the  school  all 
the  good  she  could? 

Was  Julius  Clark  receiving  anything  more  than  was  rightly 
his  when,  after  getting  all  it  seemed  possible  for  him  to  get  out 
of  the  elementary  school,  he  was  given  the  opportunity  of  the 
high  school? 

How  wise  is  it  to  recognize  the  fact  that  adolescent  boys  and 
girls  are  living  in  a  very  different  world  from  what  they  were  a 
few  months  before  and  give  them  the  high  school  studies  that  are 
of  the  new  life  interests  and  hence  better  adapted  to  them? 

How  fair  is  it  to  the  scholar  and  the  teacher,  and  financially 
how  fair  is  it  to  the  school  district,  to  keep  scholars  marking 


APPENDIX  271 

time  in  a  part  of  their  studies  because  they  are  not  regular  in 
the  grade  work? 

How  can  most  of  the  loss  of  time  that  comes  to  irregular 
scholars  in  some  schools  be  avoided? 

Let  the  reader  of  this  chapter  answer  for  himself  what  he 
would  do  with  these  the  stories  of  whom  are  told  in  this  chapter. 


On  Chapter  Sixteen 

Why  are  athletics  a  necessity  to  youth? — How  deep  seated? 

In  what  way  do  athletics  benefit  a  school,  a  community,  and 
in  final  analysis,  the  whole  country? 

Explain  the  way  in  which  practically  all  scholars  of  a  school 
receive  some  good  from  athletic  games  by  school  teams? 

What  good  could  come  from  a  half -day's  celebration  of  the 
school  basketball  team's  winning  the  state  championship? — A 
celebration  such  as  I  have  described. 

Why  should  the  coach  be  a  man  of  high  ideals,  and,  if  pos- 
sible, a  member  of  the  school  faculty? 

Why  does  a  coach  have  an  unusual  influence  over  the  team 
members? 

What  are  some  of  the  possible  evils  attendant  on  athletics? 

How  can  they  be  guarded  against? 


On  Chapter  Seventeen 

What  care  should  be  taken  to  prevent  possible  injury  to  girls 
of  this  age  from  wet  clothing  or  wet  feet,  or  a  chill  from  com- 
ing to  school  in  rain  or  snow? 

Has  the  reader  ever  known  girls  who  in  their  development  at 
this  time  of  life  were  somewhat  similar  to  the  two  cases  "man- 
aged by  the  parents  and  teacher "  whose  stories  I  have  toldf 
Were  those  the  reader  has  known  wisely  cared  for? 

What  kind  of  teachers  are  safest  for  the  extremely  nervous 
girl  at  this  period  of  her  life  whether  she  is  in  the  grammar 
grade  or  the  high  school? 

What  was  wrong  in  the  cuttingly  sarcastic  teacher's  making 
scholars  so  discouraged  in  their  work  that  a  number  of  girls  went 


272  APPENDIX 

home  to  spend  the  next  half -hour  in  crying  hysterically  from  the 
nervous  strain! 

How  should  the  simpering,  silly,  giggling,  boy-struck  girl  be 
treated! 


On  Chapter  Eighteen 

Possibly  no  one  today  could  tell  why  the  rapid  growth  of  the 
body  should  seem  for  a  time  to  lower  mental  power  as  in  the 
first  two  boys  in  this  chapter,  while  in  others,  as  the  third  boy, 
it  should  seem  to  give  increased  mental  brilliancy. 

What  is  necessary  on  the  part  of  the  teacher  in  order  that 
he  may  deal  justly  with  the  many  different  types  of  development 
common  at  this  period  of  lifef 

On  Chapter  Nineteen 

In  what  way  was  the  first  teacher  whose  story  is  given  in 
this  chapter  more  than  the  ordinary  rural  teacher  f 

What  was  the  greatest  thing  she  did  for  the  youth  and 
younger  pupils  of  her  school! 

What  was  radically  wrong  with  the  young  man  in  the  second 
story! 

How  would  he  measure  in  value  to  his  district  compared  with 
the  teacher  in  the  first  story  to  her  district.' 

What  was  it  worth  to  be  under  the  teaching  of  the  teacher 
in  the  last  story  in  the  chapter,  even  though  she  taught  in  a 
one  room  rural  school! 


On  Chapter  Twenty 

Should  parents  be  found  fault  with  if  they  prefer  for  their 
daughter  only  a  fair  standing  in  her  school  work  that  she  may 
have  more  time  to  gain  culture  and  ease  that  come  from  mingling 
socially  with  cultivated  people! 

Is  it  well  for  the  coming  voters,  the  high  school  boys  and 
girls,  to  learn  from  the  able  political  campaign  speakers  who 
present  the  leading  questions  of  the  day! 

In  times  of  great  religious  awakening  in  a  community  ought 
not  those  most  susceptible  to  religious  impressions  be  given  op- 


APPENDIX  273 

portunity  for  religious  teaching  and  training?  What  if  the 
time  is  taken  from  school  work  or  school  lesson  study  hours! 

What  is  possible  for  the  best  teachers  to  accomplish  when  the 
religious  outside  influences  make  heavy  demands  on  the  mem- 
bers of  their  school  classes? 

What  does  the  community  gain  when  for  weeks  the  attention 
of  the  people  is  centered  on  the  thought  of  better  living,  and 
higher  appreciation  of  their  responsibility  to  their  God? 

On  Chapter  Twenty-one 

How  does  the  attitude  of  the  teacher  toward  the  scholars  affect 
the  attitude  of  the  scholars  toward  the  school? 

What  is  meant  by  giving  the  scholars  an  "intelligent  con- 
fidence!" 

Why  is  self-control  on  the  part  of  those  in  authority  an  im- 
portant quality? 

Observe  the  plan  of  talking  frankly  with  young  teachers  com- 
ing into  the  high  school  faculty,  observe  the  plan,  not  that  any 
one  would  necessarily  follow  it,  but  as  suggestive  that  each  prin- 
cipal or  superintendent  should  have  his  own  plan  for  this  im- 
portant work. 

Bead  a  second  time  the  story  of  Miss  M-  and  Mack  Vaney. 
Should  a  superintendent  or  principal  be  thoughtful  in  assigning 
some  scholars  to  certain  teachers?  If  such  consideration  of  the 
personalities  of  the  teachers  and  the  personalities  of  the  scholars 
leaves  some  teacher  of  the  subject  with  fewer  pupils  than  other 
teachers  have  do  not  the  best  interests  of  the  pupils  control  the 
way  adjustment  is  made? 

The  case  of  Martha  Pollard  is  given  as  showing  how  much 
time  and  effort  it  sometimes  takes  to  make  a  teacher;  and  the 
story  of  the  other  beginning  teacher  is  told  to  show  how  some- 
times a  young  teacher  asks  nothing  but  the  opportunity  to  grow. 
Of  course,  this  young  teacher  learned  from  her  supervisors  but 
she  learned  so  easily  that  her  supervisors  were  almost  unconscious 
that  they  were  teaching  her. 

Let  the  reader  in  his  own  mind  make  a  list  of  the  good  quali- 
ties of  the  young  manual  training  teacher. 

What  qualities  in  him  made  it  possible  for  him  to  grow  as 
a  teacher? 


274  APPENDIX 

To  whose  class-room  work  alone  should  a  teacher  confine  his 
criticisms? 

If  the  teacher  who  reads  this  book  is  a  believer  in  the  gross 
immorality  of  grammar  grade  pupils  and  high  school  scholars,  he 
should  seek  other  employment;  for  no  teacher  who  reads  im- 
morality in  the  ordinary  outcroppings  of  the  physical  and  the 
mental  developments  of  youth,  has  that  faith  in  youth  that  makes 
him  a  wise  and  inspiring  leader. 


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